“Since the beginning of the day on December 9, 62 combat clashes have been recorded at the front, almost half of them — in the Pokrovsky and Oleksandrivsky directions in the Donetsk region, reports the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“Today, communities of settlements of Zareche in Chernihiv region were affected by the fire of enemy artillery and mortars; Bezsalivka, Volfine, Studenok, Malushyne, Ryzhivka of the Sumy region,” the summary as of 4:00 p.m. states.
Almost half of the battles were recorded in the Pokrovsky and Oleksandrivsky directions in the Donetsk region.
“In the Pokrovsky direction, since the beginning of the day, the Russian occupiers have made 19 attempts to dislodge our soldiers from their occupied positions in the areas of the settlements of Ivanivka, Chervyn Liman, Myrnograd, Hryshyne, Pokrovsk, Kotlyna, Udachne, Molodetske, Dachne, and in the direction of Novopodgorodny. Defense forces are holding back the onslaught and have already repulsed 16 attacks.
Ukrainian defenders repelled 11 assaults by enemy troops in the Oleksandrivskyi direction. The enemy is trying to advance in the areas of the settlements of Zeleniy Gai, Yalta, Vorone, Vyshneve, Rybne, Yehorivka and in the direction of Danylivka, four skirmishes are ongoing,” the message reads.
Fighting also continued in the South-Slobozhansk, Lymansk, Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Kostyantynivsk and Gulyaipilsk directions.
On December 8, the Ukrainian military confirmed that it withdrew units from Lysivka and Sukhoi Yar, south of the Pokrovsko-Myrnograd agglomeration, 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.