“Since the beginning of December 23, 110 combat clashes have been recorded at the front, almost half of which occurred in the Pokrovsky and Kostyantynivsky directions. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian troops carried out dozens of attacks and strikes”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“The enemy launched one missile and 41 air strikes, used 38 missiles and dropped 105 guided air bombs. In addition, it used 5,584 kamikaze drones and carried out 3,210 attacks on populated areas and positions of our troops,” the evening summary reads.
Almost half of the battles were recorded in two directions in the Donetsk region – Pokrovsky and Kostyantynivskyi.
“In the direction of Kostyantynivka, today the occupiers stormed the positions of our defenders 16 times near the settlements of Shcherbynivka, Yablunivka, Aleksandro-Shultine, Kleban-Bik, Rusyn Yar and towards Sofiivka. One battle is still ongoing.
The enemy made 29 attacks in the Pokrovsky direction. The occupiers tried to advance near the settlements of Nikanorivka, Rodynske, Chervyn Liman, Myrnograd, Pokrovsk, Kotlyne, Udachne, Molodetske, Novosergiivka, Horikhove, and Dachne. There is currently a battle going on,” the message stated.
Fighting also continued in the North-Slobozhansk and Kursk, South-Slobozhansk, Kupyansk, Lymansk, Slovyansk, Oleksandrivsk, Gulyaipilsk, Orihiv and Dnieper directions.
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.