“In the direction of Gulyaipol, Ukrainian defenders attempted to advance near Gulyaipol, Sweety and Biloghirye”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
In the direction of Kostyantynivka, the Russian invaders attacked 10 times in the areas of the settlements Oleksandro-Shultine, Pleshchiivka, Shcherbynivka, Torske, Rusyn Yar, and in the direction of Sofiivka, Ivanopil. One combat engagement is in progress.
Read also – Capture of the Ukrainian KSP: Syrskyi commented on what happened in Gulyaipol
Fighting also continues in the South-Slobozhansk, Kupyansk, Lymansk, Oleksandrivsk directions. In the Slavyansk direction, the Russian army attacked in the Serebryanka area.
Since the beginning of the day, the enemy has not carried out any offensive operations in the Kramatorsk, Orihiv, and Dnipro 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.