Ukrainian Paratroopers Counterattacked, Liberating A Key Village And Possibly Shrinking The Dangerous Salient North Of Pokrovsk

Kucheriv Yar may be back under Ukrainian control

• Ukrainian forces raised their flag in Kucheriv Yar in eastern Ukraine

• Kucheriv Yar was, until recently, a base for Russian troops fighting northeast of Pokrovsk

• Pokrovsk is critical to Ukraine’s defense of the last free cities in Donetsk Oblast

• The Russians fighting around Kucheriv Yar were in a position to threaten a key supply line into Pokrovsk

• It’s unclear how durable the Ukrainian victory in Kucheriv Yar may be

In a surprise move, Ukrainian paratroopers have liberated—at least temporarily—the village of Kucheriv Yar at the top of the 25-square-mile salient jutting into Ukrainian lines northeast of the fortress city of Pokrovsk.

A video the Ukrainian general staff posted on-line on Wednesday depicts troopers from the 132nd Reconnaissance Battalion raising a Ukrainian flag in the ruins of the village. It’s unclear how many, if any, Ukrainian troops stayed in Kucheriv Yar after hoisting the flag.

The win might not last. Still, the op in Kucheriv Yar is “better than nothing” for the Ukrainians, analyst Vitaly observed.