“Since the beginning of January 9, 97 combat clashes have been recorded at the front, reports the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The fiercest battles are taking place in Donetsk region and Zaporizhzhia, where Ukrainian forces are holding back numerous attacks by Russian troops”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“Today, the communities of Ryzhivka, Bezsalivka, and Bila Bereza settlements of Sumy Oblast were affected by enemy artillery and mortar fire,” the report says as of 4:00 p.m.
As before, the most active battles are taking place in the Pokrovsky and other directions in Donetsk region and in the Gulyaipil direction in Zaporizhzhia.
“On the Lymanskyi direction, the invading army carried out 12 attacks on Ukrainian positions in the area of the settlements of Novovodyane, Novoyehorivka, Kolodyazi, Drobysheve and Myrna, one skirmish is ongoing.
In the direction of Kostyantynivka, the enemy tried 15 times to penetrate our defense near Kostyantynivka, Oleksandro-Shultyny, Pleshchiivka, Ivanopil, Rusyny Yar, Yablunivka and towards Sofiivka, two skirmishes are ongoing.
In the Pokrovsky direction, since the beginning of the day, the Russian occupiers have made 27 attempts to dislodge our soldiers from their occupied positions in the areas of Razine, Shakhove, Nikanorivka, Rodynske, Myrnograd, Pokrovsk, Kotline, Udachne, Novosergiivka and in the direction of Novopavlivka and Filia. Defense forces are holding back the onslaught and have already repulsed 26 attacks.
Ukrainian defenders repelled 12 assaults by enemy troops in the Oleksandrivskyi direction. The enemy is trying to advance in the areas of the settlements of Piddubne, Sosnivka, Vyshneve, Rybne, Yehorivka and Krasnohirske, two skirmishes are ongoing. Malomykhailivka was hit by an airstrike by KAB.
In the Gulyaipil direction, 16 clashes took place in the areas of the settlements of Solodke, Gulyaipole, Varvarivka and Zelene. Three clashes are currently ongoing,” the message stated.
Battles were also recorded in the South-Slobozhansk, Kupyansk, Slovyansk, Kramatorsk and Prydniprovsk directions.
According to the American Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces increased their average rate of advance in 2025 thanks to the new operational pattern, but did not achieve their priority objectives in the specified time frames.
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, the Russian troops have been trying to capture Pokrovsk in Donetsk region for more than 17 months, but Ukrainian units are holding the defense and intercepting the initiative.