Today, there are important updates from the Pokrovsk direction. Here, building on the earlier success in reducing contingent in Myrnohrad, Ukrainian forces launched the second phase of a withdrawal operation designed to preserve manpower while maintaining control of the broader front. Believing they could seize the moment, Russian forces surged forward, only to walk straight into a coordinated ambush by Ukrainian marines, drones, and airpower that turned their advance into a costly trap.Тhe Ukrainian decision to pull forces back from the southern sector of Myrnohrad occurred, recognizing that continued resistance there would risk encirclement as Russian troops attacked simultaneously from both east and west. The Ukrainian 35th Marine Brigade was tasked with the most dangerous part of the operation, holding the flanks long enough for the main Ukrainian grouping to disengage and reposition to the northern part of the town. On the eastern side, Russian infiltration groups continued to push forward from Novoekonomichne, under the false impression that the Ukrainians were either fully withdrawing or that Russian forces controlled way more territory than they actually did. Russian troops advanced casually until walking directly into Ukrainian ambushes set by the marines, with machine gun fire cutting them down as Ukrainian drone teams monitored their movement. Even when the first Russian was killed, the next one still had no idea, underlining the lack of Russian drone observation over one of the main direct routes into Myrnohrad.On the western side, Russian attempts focused on the railway line below Rivne, where the thicker tree lines provided cover for small infantry teams trying to penetrate Myrnohrad from the west. They intended to enter the town from an unexpected direction and cut off the Ukrainian withdrawal, as the Russians attempt to close the pincers from both flanks at once. The 35th Marine Brigade responded with extensive drone use, deploying FPV drones to strike infiltrators, octocopters to drop explosive charges on groups moving between tree lines, and thermal-vision drones to detect concealed soldiers at night. Russian troops attempting to hide in buildings or bushes were easily tracked from above, with Ukrainian operators destroying them before they could disrupt the withdrawal.Amid Russian infiltrations aimed at cutting off the withdrawal from southern Myrnohrad, Ukrainian airpower played a critical role in preventing enemy attempts. To prevent Russians from targeting the soldiers with drones, Ukrainian F16’s targeted the Kapitolna mine, a key Russian foothold and drone operator hub. Several GBU-39 bombs struck the site, inflicting substantial losses in infantry, equipment, and drone assets. A second strike followed on the western flank, where two Ukrainian Su-27’s dropped J-dam guided bombs on a building used by Russian troops preparing to isolate a Ukrainian group, destroying the structure and the enemy assault group inside completely. These decisive measures gave the Ukrainian command the time and space needed to reestablish defensive lines further north and conduct the successful withdrawal.The Russian command reacted in its usual contradictory fashion, claiming initially that the Ukrainians had failed to withdraw and that they had successfully cut everyone off. Just hours later however, these same sources declared that they had taken southern Myrnohrad, an admission that directly contradicted their earlier statements. If Ukrainian forces had supposedly failed to withdraw, the Russians could not have taken the area without a major battle, yet no such footage or reports existed. This inconsistency revealed that the Ukrainian withdrawal had proceeded according to plan and that Russian control of southern Myrnohrad was achieved only after Ukrainian forces had already repositioned northward. Overall, the successful withdrawal from southern Myrnohrad demonstrates the effectiveness of Ukraine’s flexible, layered defense strategy for the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad axis. Once determined that maintaining positions in the south posed unnecessary risk, the Ukrainian marines intensified their defensive efforts on the flanks to guarantee a safe disengagement. Ukrainian forces now hold the northern part of Myrnohrad and continue to reinforce the northern districts of Pokrovsk, ensuring they can either stabilize the line or execute another controlled withdrawal if needed.