“During the day of December 4, 167 combat clashes were recorded at the front, the largest number — in the Pokrovsky direction, where Ukrainian forces repelled 52 attacks”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“Yesterday, the enemy carried out 61 air strikes, dropped 173 guided air bombs. In addition, it carried out 6,664 attacks, including 153 from rocket salvo systems, and engaged 4,480 kamikaze drones to destroy them… Over the past day, aviation, missile forces and artillery of the Defense Forces hit two areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment and three artillery systems of the enemy,” the morning summary stated.
Almost a third of the battles were recorded in the Pokrovsky direction in the Donetsk region.
“In the Pokrovsky direction, our defenders stopped 52 assault actions of the aggressor in the areas of Shakhovy, Novy Shakhovy, Krasnoy Liman, Myrnograd, Vilny, Novoekonomichny, Dorozhny, Shevchenko, Rodinsky, Novopavlivka, Pokrovsk, Svitly, Kotlyny, Udachny, Molodetsky, Dachny,” the message reads.
Fighting also continued in the South-Slobozhansk, Kupyansk, Lymansk, Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivsk, Oleksandrivsk, Gulyaipilsk, Orihiv and Prydniprovsk directions.
At the end of November, the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted in its report that Russian propaganda is spreading the statements of Russian President Vladimir Putin, trying to create the impression that the Ukrainian front line will allegedly “collapse soon.” But, according to analysts, these statements have no basis and are aimed at forcing Ukraine and its Western allies to agree to the Kremlin’s terms, which Russia is unable to achieve militarily.
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.