“The largest number – 40 – was in the Kursk direction”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
According to the headquarters, 40 battles took place today in the Kursk direction.
Also, in the Pokrovsky direction today, the enemy attacked the positions of Ukrainian defenders 31 times near the settlements of Myrolyubivka, Promin, Lysivka, Zelene, Novy Trud, Dachenske, Vovkovo, Pischane, Novovasylivka, Novoelizavetivka, Novooleksiivka and Ukrainka.
In the Kurakhiv direction, the Ukrainian military repulsed 19 clashes in the areas of Sontsivka, Stari Terny, Andriivka, Kurakhove, Dachne, Dalnye, Kostiantynopolske and Kostiantynopol settlements. Sixteen enemy assaults have already been repelled by our defenders, and three more clashes are ongoing.
Also, the Armed Forces of Ukraine deny reports about the presence of individual units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine in operational encirclement in the area of Uspenivka and Trudove settlements.
According to the information of the Khortytsya Security Service, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine approved the decision to withdraw units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine from the relevant area in order to avoid encirclement.
“Military units, which for a long time waged heavy defensive battles with the overwhelming enemy forces, carried out the necessary maneuvers to avoid encirclement and continue to perform operational tasks at the Kurakhove-Konstantinopolsk border,” the message reads.
As reported by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, as of December 17, the Defense Forces are conducting active combat operations on a section of the front with a total length of more than 1,170 kilometers, the most difficult situation now is in the Pokrovsky and Kurakhiv directions.