General Staff: almost a third of combat clashes at the front per day were in the Pokrovsky direction

139 combat clashes were recorded on the front last day, about a third of which were in the Pokrovsky direction, according to data from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“In the Pokrovsky direction, our defenders stopped 43 attacks by the aggressor in the areas of the settlements of Shakhove, Fedorivka, Rodynske, Chervyn Liman, Nikanorivka, Myrnograd, Pokrovsk, Kotlyne, Udachne, Molodetske, Dachne, and in the direction of Novopavlivka,” said the morning report on December 9.

According to the command of the Armed Forces, Russian attacks of the past day were also recorded in the Kostiantyniv, Oleksandriv, Gulyaipil, Orihiv, Slovian, Lyman, Kupian, South-Slobozhan, North-Slobozhan and Kursk directions.

The day before, the Ukrainian military confirmed that they withdrew units from Lysivka and Sukhoi Yar in the south of the Pokrovsk-Myrnograd agglomeration in order to avoid encirclement.

According to the Airborne Assault Forces, the situation in the Mirnograd area remains difficult, the enemy is actively shelling the city with anti-aircraft missiles, and over the past week, Russian forces have dropped 21 aerial bombs on the city.

On December 1, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced on its resources the alleged capture of Pokrovsk. Donbas Realiy (a Radio Liberty project) has collected statements and data refuting the occupation of the city.

Pokrovsk – a city with a population of about 1,250 people (estimated by the local authorities at the end of October, before the start of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation – more than 60,000) – is an important road and railway junction and was under threat of encirclement by Russian troops for most of the year.