“Since the beginning of December 31, 120 combat clashes have been recorded at the front, Russian troops have carried out dozens of airstrikes and thousands of drone and artillery attacks, focusing offensive actions on key areas in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, reports the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“The invaders carried out 46 air strikes, dropping 94 guided aerial bombs. In addition, the Russians used 4,659 kamikaze drones to attack and carried out 2,635 attacks on the positions of our troops and populated areas,” the summary reads as of 10:00 p.m.
The most active battles were fought in three directions in Donetsk region and one in Zaporizhzhia region.
“The Russians attacked the positions of the Defense Forces 16 times in the Konstantinov direction. The occupiers concentrated their offensive efforts in the areas of Oleksandro-Shultine, Pleshchiivka, Shcherbynivka, Torske, Rusyn Yar and in the direction of Sofiivka and Ivanopil.
Since the beginning of the day, in the Pokrovsky direction, Russian units have tried 27 times to break through Ukrainian defenses in the areas of Myrnograd, Pokrovsk, Udachne, Kotlyne, Molodetske, Yablunivka, Filia and towards the settlements of Novopavlivka, Kucheriv Yar, Bilytske, Novopidgorodne, Novye Shakhove, Rodynske. Four clashes continue until now.
In the Oleksandrivsk direction, Ukrainian units stopped 14 enemy attacks on the positions of our troops near the settlements of Zlagoda, Rybne, Zeleny Gay and towards the settlements of Andriyivka-Klevtsov, Privillia. The enemy carried out an airstrike on the village of Andriivka-Klevtsevo.
In the direction of Gulyaipol, our defenders stopped 14 attempts of the enemy to advance in the areas of Gulyaipol, Sweetsky and Biloghirya. Another battle continues. Verkhnya Tersa was hit by an airstrike,” the message states.
Fighting also continued in the South-Slobozhansk, Kupyansk, Lymansk and Slavyansk directions.
Read also: Muzhenko explained the importance of the struggle for Pokrovsk and Kupyansk
On December 17, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that the enemy had increased the group to the number of about 710,000 soldiers in order to conduct a strategic offensive operation.
According to him, Russian troops have been trying to capture Pokrovsk for more than 17 months, but Ukrainian units are holding the defense and intercepting the initiative.
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.