'Flower' Strategy Blooms: Russian Victories Near Pokrovsk and Konstantinovka Herald Ukrainian Collapse (18+)South Front

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The Donbass frontlines continue to shift as Russian forces intensify pressure on a wide front along the Pokrovsk-Konstantinovka axis, employing a methodical strategy of logistical isolation rather than direct frontal assaults. Following the successful encirclement tactics seen in previous strategic battles for the cities, Russian troops are now applying similar pressure to Konstantinovka and Pokrovsk, systematically severing Ukrainian supply routes and weakening defensive cohesion.

The Novaya Poltavka Breakthrough: Severing the Pokrovsk-Konstantinovka Lifeline

The recent Russian victory in Novaya Poltavka marks a critical development in the ongoing offensive. Located between Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmiysk) and Konstantinovka, this settlement’s fall completely disrupts one of Ukraine’s key supply arteries. Russian forces, spearheaded by the 57th Motorized Rifle Regiment, secured the village after a multi-day push. First securing outlying positions near Shevchenko Pershe to the west on May 17th, they broke into the southern outskirts and raised the Russian flag in the center by May 18.

On May 19th, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation officially declared another important victory in the area. The village of Novoolenovka located northeast near the same strategic road came under the full Russian control. Last week, Russian flags were also raised in the village of Malinovka, located southwest on the same road. LINK

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With Novaya Poltavka, Novoolenovka and Malinovka under their full control, Russian troops are now rapidly advancing toward Poltavka and Popov Yar, threatening to cut the remaining paved road linking Pokrovsk to Druzhkovka and Kramatorsk. If this route is severed, Ukrainian forces will be forced to rely solely on secondary roads to the west through Dobropillia, further straining an already precarious logistical network.

The new Novoolenovsky flower is blooming, which means Russian advance is underway in several directions in the area of these settlements along the road between Pokrovsk and Konstantinovka. Earlier, a similar “flower” tactics effectively bloomed in the area of the strategically important logistics hub of Ocheretino, which allowed the liberation of vast territories of Donbass.

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Konstantinovka Direction: Tightening the Noose

To the north, Russian units from the South Group of Forces are making incremental gains around Konstantinovka, aiming to collapse Ukrainian defenses through flanking maneuvers rather than direct urban assaults.

On the western flank in the Konstantinovka direction, after Russian victory in Novoolenovka, fighting is now reaching Yablonevka, a critical node in Ukraine’s defensive line.

Battle for Alexandropol and recent Russian victory:

Key developments include Russian victory in the village of Romanovka. According to preliminary field reports, Russian forces took control of the village, cutting the hard-surface road supplying the large Ukrainian garrisons in Zarya, Ignatyevka, and Staraya Nikolaevka. The Ukrainian garrison is falling into another cauldron. Surrounded by Russian advance from Romanovka to the east and Alexandropol to the west, Ukrainian units risk to be fully encircled in the coming days. At the same time, they are grinded down iside. Russian assault groups are close to repel the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Staraya Nikolaevka, pushing toward Ignatyevka, further pressuring Ukrainian positions.

Ukrainian forces in the area are increasingly reliant on dirt roads under constant Russian drone and artillery surveillance, severely hampering resupply efforts. The gradual erosion of these positions suggests that the battle for Konstantinovka itself may begin sooner than anticipated, though major Ukrainian fortifications remain further west.

West of Konstantinovka, Ukrainian counterattacks do not stop Russian advance near Toretsk (Dzerzhynsk). The victory in Romanovka further destabilizes Ukrainian positions, setting the stage for a potential Russian breakthrough west of Toretsk. According to the latest reports from the battlefield, Russian troops have broken into Dylyeivka, a key settlement north of Toretsk, marking another step in Moscow’s push to collapse Ukraine’s defensive pocket. Assault units advanced along the railway line, seizing the southern part of the village, with Ukrainian sources confirming Russian troops have entrenched in built-up areas. Fighting is reportedly intensifying near the “Beryozka” children’s camp, where Russian forces are consolidating gains.

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Pokrovsk Direction: Expanding Flank Control

Russian progress east of Pokrovsk mirrors the successful envelopment strategy, while the rapid offensive continues on a wide front southwest of the city agglomeration. The Russian-controlled zone Kotlyarovka was expanded by 8 square kilometers in recent days. This creates a growing “fire bag” for Ukrainian troops near Novonikolayevka, where isolated units risk encirclement. The Russian army is destroying the last Ukrainian strongholds near the administrative border of the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Ukrainian losses (18+):

The Russian offensive in the Donbass remains characterized by patient, logistics-focused attrition rather than dramatic breakthroughs. By methodically degrading Ukrainian supply routes near Pokrovsk and Konstantinovka Moscow is replicating a formula that avoids costly urban combat until defenses are sufficiently weakened.

For Ukraine, the loss of Novaya Poltavka, Novoolenovka, Romanovka and the looming threat to Pokrovsk’s supply lines pose a significant challenge. With Russian forces now within striking distance of Druzhkovka’s road network and tightening their grip on Konstantinovka’s flanks, Ukrainian commanders face difficult choices: force the doomed units to resist to the last soldier or prepare for a controlled withdrawal to more defensible positions. Either way, the initiative currently lies with Moscow.