“Also, intense fighting continues in the Kostyantynivskyi, Oleksandrivskyi and Gulyaipilskyi directions, together – almost 70 clashes”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
According to the headquarters, yesterday the enemy carried out 74 airstrikes, dropped 154 guided air bombs, launched 4,281 attacks, including 126 from rocket salvo systems, and engaged 5,836 kamikaze drones for destruction.
Most battles continue to be recorded in the Pokrovsky direction. On this part of the front, Ukrainian defenders stopped 50 assault actions of the aggressor in the areas of the settlements of Chervyn Lyman, Rodynske, Myrnograd, Pokrovsk, Kotlyne, Udachne, Molodetske, Filia and in the direction of Toretsky, Novy Shahovy and Novopavlivka.
Yesterday, Russian forces carried out 22 attacks in the Oleksandrivskyi direction, and 19 in the Gulyaipilskyi direction.
Fighting also continues in the North-Slobozhansk and Kursk, South-Slobozhansk, Kupyansk, Lymansk, Slovyansk, Orihiv and Dnieper directions.
The enemy did not conduct offensive operations in the Kramatorsk direction.
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.