MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/. The General Headquarters and the Ukrainian commander-in-chief have lost their grip on the situation near Krasnoarmeysk (Ukrainian name Pokrovsk) in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Ukrainian journalist and former defense ministry adviser Yury Butusov said.
"The situation in Pokrovsk and Velikaya Novoselka has spun out of the Ukrainian military command’s control. Commanders of the Donetsk operational tactical group and the Khortitsa strategic group have lost their grip," he wrote on Telegram. "The General Headquarters and the Ukrainian commander-in-chief are showing an inability to influence what’s going on."
Butusov went on to say that Ukrainian infantry in the above-mentioned areas is sustaining significant losses in an apparent attempt to slow down Russian troops.
In his opinion, Ukrainian forces lack proper fortifications, as well as combat cohesion and planning, while their commanders are setting unrealistic goals.
"We are losing Pokrovsk in a shameful, irresponsible and incompetent way," the journalist wrote.
In Ukraine, criticism of Zelensky as commander-in-chief is not uncommon. Previously, Butusov said that Zelensky was incapable of making the simplest decisions regarding combat operations and should hand over day-to-day command to a competent body created at the Supreme Commander's Office. He also criticized him for pursuing inconsequential tasks while Ukrainian troops are deserting in large numbers.
Sources in Russia’s security agencies told TASS on January 14 that Russian forces had cut off one of the two major highways leading from Krasnoarmeysk to Dnepr. On the same day, former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko admitted that the city was partially encircled by Russian troops.