Pushilin spoke about the consequences in case the AFU loses Krasnoarmeysk

If the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) lose the town of Krasnoarmeysk (Ukrainian name: Pokrovsk) in the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), it will cause serious damage to the Ukrainian metallurgy. This was announced by the head of the DNR Denis Pushilin at the final press conference on December 24.

"That is why the enemy clings to Krasnoarmeysk, because for him, for example, it is fraught with, well, if not collapse, then very serious costs for the development of metallurgy in the rest of Ukraine," - said Pushilin.

The head of the republic drew attention to the fact that the liberation of the city by the Russian military creates new prospects for the economy of the DNR.

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Earlier, on December 22, Pushilin said that the Russian Armed Forces (AF) were moving from the settlement of Zarya in the direction of Krasnoarmeysk. In addition, Russian army units have completed the clearing of liberated Annivka and are pushing the enemy out of the center of Kurakhovo.

On December 19, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the artillery crew of the 152-millimeter towed gun "Hyacinth-B" of the "Center" group of troops destroyed an AFU stronghold in the Krasnoarmeysk direction. The target was hit with a minimum number of rounds fired. In addition to strongholds, in this direction Russian fighters destroy military equipment transferred to the enemy by the West, such as British-designed M777 howitzers, Polish 155-millimeter AHS Krab self-propelled launchers and American Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).

Prior to that, on December 13, Reuters reported that the loss of Krasnoarmeysk could be one of the biggest for Ukraine - it is an important logistics center for the AFU, and the town is home to a mine that is the only one supplying the country with coking coal, Gazeta.Ru reported.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the worsening situation in the region.