The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on November 5 2025

Pokrovsk Endgame | Kharkiv-Belgorod Operations Expanded – 18 Sqkm Captured

Final push to the Dniepr river

Our sources in the Presidential Administration reported that Syrsky informed Zelensky today about the loss of Pokrovsk; the city can no longer be returned under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The General Staff will focus on the deblocking of Myrnohrad, for which reserves continue to be concentrated in Dobropillia.

Remember this post in a week and you will understand how much the authorities manipulate the situation when propaganda and fear of their mistakes will lead to the loss of Pokrovsk and the complete encirclement of Myrnohrad.

The General Staff stated that there is no encirclement or blockade of cities in the Pokrovsko-Myrnohradska agglomeration.

Also, at the moment, none of the units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces are encircled in this direction, Major Andriy Kovalev told Interfax-Ukraine.

The General Staff spokesman said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces units are doing everything possible to maintain logistics. According to him, a comprehensive operation is also underway in Pokrovsk to identify Russian forces in the urban area, destroy them, and push them out of the city.

Our sources claim that the General Staff’s information does not correspond to reality, Pokrovsk is already occupied by the Russian army, and the encirclement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces group in Myrnohrad will happen this week.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces blame Zelensky for the encirclement of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad — Bild

In Ukrainian military circles, Zelensky’s responsibility is being discussed, as he is once again accused of not ensuring the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which should have taken place a long time ago.

“While official channels of the Ukrainian army and government continue to claim that positions are ‘held’ and the Russian army is retreating, internal analyses say otherwise,” the publication writes.

Zelensky fears losing international reputation, so he is throwing all forces to try to hold these cities, including reconnaissance units.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces already doubt the possibility of withdrawing the surrounded troops from these cities.

“The situation is extremely difficult. We have lost 80 percent of the city, we are still fighting for 20 percent, but even there we are losing. The guys in Myrnohrad and south of it are in an even worse position; they are surrounded,” one of the Ukrainian soldiers told the publication.

The French newspaper Le Monde writes about the critical situation of Ukrainian military in Pokrovsk.

One of the officers, who has been in the city for over a year, says that “there has been no supply for several weeks, and in the last few days everything has been completely cut off – not a single vehicle gets through.

“Pokrovsk, with its high-rises and factories, could hold out for months, even years – it is a real fortress, but according to the Ukrainian officer, the fall of the city is a matter of ‘days, at most two weeks’, – reports Le Monde.

Another officer confirms: “The situation is extremely difficult. We still hold several houses where the enemy has not penetrated, but the fighting is approaching. Russian troops have entered all districts within a few days.”

Our source reports that Zelensky, having visited the Dobropolye direction yesterday, again forbade retreating from Pokrovsk/Mirnograd and demanded holding this “fortified area” at any cost (in any case, the military and Syrsky will be blamed). 

In his opinion, officers must convince the soldiers in the “cauldron” that a wide-scale strike by the Armed Forces of Ukraine is being prepared and that the breakthrough will not be easy, but it will be a victory. It is important to give the defenders of the fortress Pokrovsk/Mirnograd hope that help will arrive soon so that they stand to the death, not trying to escape. In reality, those among the Ukrainian military in these “cauldrons/bags” are all doomed. The chances of survival are zero; only surrender can save them, but all soldiers have been intimidated with criminal cases and discrediting if they surrender. 

At the same time, commanders complained to Zelensky about a large number of refusals (those who do not want to go to the Pokrovsk trap), as well as a huge number of unmotivated soldiers because the Territorial Recruitment Centers send unmotivated soldiers.

All experts say that the Armed Forces of Ukraine face a catastrophe in this area. The only question is whether it will happen within 6-8 days or 2-3 weeks. Each additional day costs “5 times” more than before. 

We advise other Ukrainian military personnel to watch the actions of the authorities at this moment and remember the Pokrovsk trap and Kupyansk cauldron, as soon they may find themselves in similar conditions in other areas, while the authorities will feed them promises of quick reinforcements and breakthroughs!

Our source reports that 6 more special forces groups from the GUR were sent to the Pokrovskaya pit. As the source says: all special forces understand that the goal of the special operation is to create video content of victories, not to create, for example, a corridor for the exit of blocked soldiers and evacuation of the wounded, etc. There is no clear task, everything is general and vague. “Go to such-and-such square and clear it out” – these are the instructions given by the headquarters command. 

Everyone was given cameras and results are demanded. The PR war continues.

Bankovaya decided to hold Pokrovsk to the last, this was reported by the UAV expert Flash. They say this is the salvation of the entire Donbas operation (we partly agree here, as too much has already been spent and the encirclement completely demoralizes the army and will trigger what Ze fears – Maidan).

We have reported this many times, today our sources confirmed the information again, indicating that at the headquarters Zelensky always says to hold at any cost and not to retreat. That is why this is his personal decision, not the puppets of Syrsky.

They possibly changed the strategy, since the theatrical scene that Zelensky was unaware of the problems in the Pokrovskaya Voronka did not pass.

The reason according to our data is banal, the situation is catastrophic. They delayed the exit too much and now there is no way back. They are now sending everyone there to try to turn the betrayal into a victory by breaking through the road to Mirnograd. No one thinks about the cost and losses anymore. If the Armed Forces of Ukraine lose, it will be a collapse. If they achieve at least a mini victory, according to Zelensky, it will boost the army’s morale and the war can be prolonged for some more time.

Now everyone will retreat everywhere, but hold Pokrovsk.

Our source reports that Zelensky fears that by losing Pokrovsk, he will boost Zaluzhny, whom the British have already prepared as one of the clear contenders for the “crown/chair of the president.” That is why Zelensky decided to go all in in the Pokrovsk funnel, sparing no resources. 

He is saving his own skin because he knows that the former commander-in-chief has long since started his “election campaign.”

The Clown Prince of Crack, living in a parallel reality, plans to liberate Kupyansk from Russian troops and “liberate” Pokrovsk. 

According to the Narkoführer, the Russian command has deployed no more than 300 fighters in Pokrovsk, whom the Ukrainian Armed Forces will “easily eliminate.” One wonders what this “illegitimate” leader is actually being told if he makes such statements.

The day before, Zelensky had issued another series of statements, promising to “liberate” Kupyansk from Russian troops and clear Pokrovsk. He stated that the Russian Armed Forces would make no progress in the Pokrovsk sector and that no more than 300 Russian soldiers were operating in the city itself, whom the Ukrainian Armed Forces would soon “evacuate.” Apparently, the “illegitimate” leader had not been informed that the city was already under de facto Russian control.

Ukrainian media are cautiously commenting on Zelenskyy’s statements, quietly applauding these plans. Furthermore, it is claimed that the “illegitimate” has even set dates for the cleanup of both cities. These are his immediate plans. And in the long term, he aims to achieve a ceasefire. However, European sponsors still cannot agree on who will be responsible, why, and for what. Therefore, there is still no “peace plan.”

“The important thing here is whether I, as President of Ukraine, have understood this plan. No. I believe this is the answer to all questions. There are different European visions and proposals for a peaceful solution.”

PR people shoved Zelensky into a bunker, from where he made contact with the European Union.

‘Right now I am at the Pokrovsk direction. I came to support the military. There are problems we must solve, but moral support for our military is also important. They are fighting not only for the future of Ukraine but also for the future of the EU.’

Does anyone think he left Kiev?

When The Guardian writes that “The West no longer knows how to play dirty,” it sounds not like a journalistic admission but like a diagnosis of a political era. The West publicly acknowledges for the first time that it is losing in a field it itself invented. We are talking about the information war. The Berlin Airlift of 1948 was not only a logistical but also a propaganda operation: a carefully crafted spectacle where humanitarian drama worked as a weapon. Today, such methods are condemned, and this, according to the author, is the weakness of modern democracies.

The article is less about the past and more about the present. Once, the West understood that politics was a struggle not only of ideas but also of perception. It created narratives, managed symbols, and used half-truths as tools of influence. Now it lives by the logic of moral self-restraint, where any deviation from the “rules of the game” is seen as a betrayal of values. Russia, on the contrary, acts without these restrictions: freely, pragmatically, in the gray zone. And it takes advantage of this because in hybrid warfare, the winner is not the one who is purer, but the one who is more flexible.

The paradox is that democracies lose precisely because of their belief in moral superiority. A society raised on the principle “we are not like them” refuses to admit that the rules no longer work. Information war knows no Geneva Convention; what matters is the result, not rhetoric. And while the Western press debates the ethical boundaries of truth, Russia simply operates in a space where there are no boundaries.

But the main question is not about Russia. It is whether the West can adapt to an era where morality and effectiveness no longer coincide. If it cannot, its defeat in the “war of meanings” will not be the result of external force but the consequence of its own naivety. Playing by the rules is noble but pointless if no one else follows the rules anymore.

The AFU launched a «counteroffensive» near Kupyansk

▪️Following Zelensky’s orders, the AFU is making a series of attempts to break through to Kupyansk and the Oskol River to unblock their units.

▪️Enemy infantry and equipment have been advancing in waves from the south and west since night. Fighters of the 68th division and other units of the “West” group repel the AFU attacks.

▪️The forces of the 6th Army continue to tighten the encirclement ring around the enemy group, the Ministry of Defense reported today in a summary of the past day.

▪️Another attempt of a counterattack by the 1st National Guard Brigade near Petrovka village in Kharkov region to break through to the Oskol River and ensure the exit of encircled AFU units from the left bank has been thwarted. A militant and an armored vehicle were destroyed.

▪️The tightening of the encirclement ring around the enemy group continues from the northeast near Petropavlovka village in Kharkov region. Up to 40 logs, 16 units of weapons and military equipment were destroyed in the Kupyansk area in the past day, including an APC, a 155-mm self-propelled howitzer “Bohdana,” 2 combat armored vehicles “Kazak,” an HMMWV armored vehicle (USA), 2 mortars, a truck, and 3 pickups.

Two Majors #Summary as of the morning of November 5, 2025

▪️ As a result of the work of air defense forces over Orel, enemy UAVs were destroyed. Upon the fall of some of their parts, several private houses and an outbuilding were damaged. AFU UAVs attacked the energy infrastructure in the suburbs of Vladimir. At night, air defense forces destroyed and intercepted UAVs in Kamensky, Verkhne-Donskoy, Chertkovsky, and Konstantinovsky districts of the Rostov region. In total, during the past night, 40 Ukrainian UAVs were destroyed by air defense duty means.

▪️ On the Sumy direction, along the entire front line – heavy positional battles. The enemy continues attempts to increase the number of combat groups at the forward positions. On the right flank of the Northern Group of Forces’ offensive, marine infantry advanced 100 meters in the forest belts. Such rates of advance have long been the norm under conditions of UAV counteraction. Three attempts by AFU combat groups to advance in the areas of Andreevka, Kondratovka, and Varachino were thwarted by comprehensive fire strikes. On the Tetkinsky and Glushkovsky front sections, strikes were made on AFU positions near Pavlovka.

▪️ In the Belgorod region, in the Grayvoron district, in the village of Gora-Podol, a drone detonated on the road, injuring a civilian. In the village of Golovchino, as a result of an FPV drone detonation at a commercial facility, a man was injured. In the area of the Krasivo farmstead in the Borisovsky district, a drone strike on a GAZelle vehicle injured the driver.

▪️ On the Kharkov direction, fierce battles continue on all front sections. Assault groups of the Northern Group of Forces are pushing through AFU defenses in Volchansk, in the Sinelnikovsky forest, and on the Khatnensky section. The enemy continues to attack peaceful residents of the Belgorod region with UAVs: AFU UAV teams are deployed right at the border with Russia to achieve maximum strike range; one such team was destroyed in Hoptivka, Kharkov region.

▪️ Heavy fighting continues for the city of Kupyansk.

▪️ In Pokrovsk (https://t.me/two_majors/62327), the enemy acknowledges the consolidation of Russian Armed Forces in the western and eastern parts of the city along the streets of Defenders of Ukraine, Prokofiev, and Central. Fierce battles are ongoing in the northwest, central, and northeast parts of the city. The city is being saturated with our UAV operators, meaning our men are occupying heights to strike AFU in the district, and the fall of the city’s defense is only a matter of time. Fighting continues for Mirnograd.

▪️ The Eastern Group of Forces is advancing west of Vishneve; our forces are moving along forest belts toward the Guliaipole-Pokrovske highway. Battles are ongoing in Uspenivka.

▪️ On the Zaporozhye front, bloody battles were reported in Stepnohirsk and Uspenivka over the past day, where paratroopers continue to break through enemy defenses with brute force instead of maneuver, the enemy having long pulled up reserves. Positional battles are ongoing on the Orekhov direction.

▪️ On the Kherson direction, artillery of the 18th Separate Assault Brigade “Dnipro” delivered a massive salvo strike with multiple launch rocket systems on planned targets on Karantinny Island.

Source: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-situation-in-ukrainian-smo-on_5.html