The situation is critical.
An ‘elf’ military officer.
In the east said.
Near the front line.
South of Pokrovsk.
‘Orcs’ military strategy.
Now appears.
To be surrounding.
The city.
Which is a key.
Transportation hub.
In the region.
The officer said.
His military leadership.
Want to hold their positions.
At all costs.
Often leading to the loss.
Of troops and resources.
That approach, he says.
Was resulting.
In a number of “cauldrons”.
Large territories.
Surrounded by.
The ‘orcs’ forces.
One of them is.
South of Pokrovsk.
– between Nevelske.
Hirnyk and Krasnohorivka.
“We are not planning.
To advance towards.
The city of Donetsk.
Any time soon.”
“So why are we holding.
Positions near Nevelske.
When we’re losing Hirnyk?”
Said the officer.
Far better to retreat.
To Hirnyk, he believes.
With a minimum loss.
Of resources.
And hold those positions.
“When your enemy has.
More people and resources.
Than you do.”
“This strategy is reckless.”
The ‘elf’ officer added.
“Look at the Donetsk region.
It looks like a squid.”
“To defend all the tentacles.
You need a far bigger.
Number of positions.
Observation posts.”
“You need to hold back.
Far bigger assault groups.
Because the ‘orcs’ are trying.
To attack from all sides.”
So, instead of withdrawing.
And reduce the length of the line.
They need to defend.
The officer says.
Brigades get wiped out.
Fighting along the entire.
Perimeter of the “cauldron”.
Simply because.
Simply because.
The main criteria.
Of success for generals.
Is to hold positions.
One of them is.
South of Pokrovsk.
– between Nevelske.
Hirnyk and Krasnohorivka.
An analyst says ‘elves’ troops.
Have now pulled back from.
The village of Nevelske.
To avoid an encirclement.
That means the threat of.
Being trapped is less acute.
But the military officer.
At the front says.
Pulling back should.
Have been done.
Long before.
Lives and resources.
Have been wasted.
On something that.
They couldn’t hold anyway.
He argues.
One of them is.
South of Pokrovsk.
– between Nevelske.
Hirnyk and Krasnohorivka.
Strategic mistakes made.
In the past mean that.
There is only one way.
Left to defend Pokrovsk.
And stop the ‘orcs’ seizing.
The entire Donetsk region.
According to the officer.
On the front line.
“To have another Bakhmut”.
In his words.
Referring to the city.
In eastern Ukraine that.
Kyiv defended.
For nearly a year.
Before retreating.
With the city in ruins.
“They will throw.
A lot of people and.
Let them die there.”
“To have another Bakhmut”.
*Because I read “Ukrainians warn of being surrounded as Russia advances in east” by Abdujalil Abdurasulov on 14 Sep 2024, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem, including a story of Roman Pohorily.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
Ukraine war: Troops fear encirclement in Pokrovsk as Russians near (bbc.com)
