[Korrespondent] A number of counterattacks by Ukrainian forces in the Pokrovsk direction had some success, the Khortitsa Joint Forces Group stated.
The Ukrainian Defense Forces have driven the Russian army out of the village of Peschanoye, three kilometers from Pokrovsk. This was reported on February 16 by Viktor Tregubov, spokesman for the Khortitsa operational-strategic group of troops, on the Kiev TV channel.
"The low counterattack of the Ukrainian forces had a certain success. In particular, it has already been reported and we can already talk about the liberation of the village of Peschanoye. This is about 5 km south of Pokrovsk. Also, Russian troops were pushed out of some other nearby settlements," he said.
The speaker noted that a “certain turning point” had occurred in the Pokrovsky direction.
"The Russians had very serious intentions to semi-encircle the city of Pokrovsk. But they suffered serious losses in this direction last month. This month, they were also, let's say, stopped and even pushed back in some populated areas," added Tregubov.
Earlier, in the OSGV Khortitsa, when asked about the successes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Pokrovsky Front, they stated that they would report on this only after the complete liberation of populated areas.
According to Bild information published on February 13, the Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out their first counterattack in a year in the Donetsk region near the city of Pokrovsk.