“More than a quarter of Russian attacks were in the Pokrovsky direction”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“In the Pokrovsky direction, our defenders stopped 58 assault and offensive actions of the aggressor in the areas of Myrnograd, Rodynske, Pokrovsk, Rivne, Kotlyna, Udachne, Molodetske, Pershe Travnya, Filia and in the direction of Sukhetsky, Hryshiny, Novopodgorodny, Novopavlivka,” the message reads.
In addition, according to the command of the Armed Forces, Russian troops carried out 31 attacks in the Konstantinov direction.
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Fighting also continued in the North-Slobozhansk and Kursk, South-Slobozhansk, Kupyansk, Lymansk, Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, Oleksandrivsk, Gulyaipilsk, Orichivsk directions.
“According to detailed information, yesterday the invaders carried out 14 airstrikes on the territory of Ukraine, dropping 41 guided air bombs. In addition, 4,563 kamikaze drones were brought in for destruction and 3,857 attacks were carried out on the positions of our troops and populated areas, including 98 from rocket salvo fire systems,” the message reads.
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.