“Since the beginning of December 25, 61 combat clashes have been recorded at the front, reports the General Staff of the Armed Forces, with the highest intensity of attacks in the Pokrovsky direction”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“The enemy from the territory of the Russian Federation launched artillery fire on the areas of the settlements of Hrinivka, Klyusy, Yasna Polyana, Chernihiv region; Ulanov, Ryzhivka, Malushyne, Simeykyne, Bila Bereza, Sukhodil, Girky, Iskryskivshchyna, Brusky, Volfyne, Yastrubshchyna of the Sumy region,” the summary as of 4:00 p.m. states.
Almost a third of the attacks were recorded in the Pokrovsky direction in the Donetsk region.
“In the Pokrovsky direction during the day, the enemy tried 18 times to advance to our positions near the settlements of Chervyn Lyman, Rodynske, Myrnograd, Leontovichi, Kotlyna, Molodetske, Filia, Dachna, and towards Novopavlivka and Novy Shahovy. One battle is still going on,” the report said.
Fighting also continued in the South-Slobozhansk, Kupyansk, Lymansk, Slovyansk, Kostyantynovsky, Oleksandrivsk, Gulyaipilsk, Orihiv and Prydniprovsk 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.