Ukrainian military analyst Denys Popovych shared this assessment on Espreso TV.“A settlement holds strategic value when losing it, or being defeated there, fundamentally shifts the course of the war. After that, you can no longer count on victory or even a peace deal on acceptable terms. I wouldn’t say Pokrovsk holds that kind of strategic importance. However, it does carry operational and tactical significance,” Popovych explained. “If we lose control of Pokrovsk, Russian forces could push toward Dnipropetrovsk region, and then we’ll be talking about battles in that area.”The analyst emphasized that the current situation doesn’t suggest Pokrovsk is about to fall. Still, conditions along that front are clearly deteriorating.“Right now, we’re talking about isolated Russian groups managing to infiltrate Dnipropetrovsk region. But if we lose Pokrovsk, that situation will change dramatically,” he added. “That said, I want to stress again — we’re not saying that Pokrovsk is about to fall. What we can confirm is that the overall situation in the Pokrovsk direction is worsening. When the time comes when holding the city is no longer viable, decisions will be made based on the broader objectives and mission.”There’s a major problem with the sheer number of Russian troops on the Pokrovsk front, as Ukrainian forces are doing everything they can to stop them and eliminate as many as possible, according to Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Khortytsia operational-strategic troop grouping,.