The panic over the collapse of Ukrainian defenses on the Donbass front has now been picked up by Financial Times. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has come under “a barrage of criticism from soldiers, lawmakers and military analysts over the rapid advances made by the Russian army in eastern Ukraine since Kyiv launched its bold incursion into Russia’s Kursk region,” FT reported yesterday. A “breach in the frontline in the strategically important Donetsk region this week has triggered a backlash against the leadership in Kyiv, with critics arguing Ukraine’s positions were weakened by the redeployment of thousands of battle-hardened Ukrainian troops to the Kursk operation,” it adds. “Russian forces are closing in on the strategically important city of Pokrovsk taking several nearby towns this week and forcing undermanned Ukrainian units to retreat from prepared defensive positions.”
After presenting reams of evidence, including satellite imagery and statements by both sides, documenting the rapidity of the Russian advance, FT then reports that on August 27, Zelenskyy described the situation on the frontline near Pokrovsk as “extremely difficult” but claimed that the Russian advance in the area had slowed following Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk. “In fact, Russian forces have advanced more rapidly in Donetsk since August 6 compared with the previous months, according to several military analysts, including Deep State, a Ukrainian group with close ties to Ukraine’s defense ministry that monitors frontline movements,” FT says.