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Ukraine thwarting Russian attempts to break through defenses in Kupiansk, Lyman: Kyiv

Ukrainian forces continue to thwart Russian attempts to break through Ukrainian defenses in the Kupiansk and Lyman directions, said Ukrainian Ground Forces Commander, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi on Thursday.

“Amid continued active offensive actions of the enemy in the Kupiansk and Lyman directions, our troops are daily thwarting their plans to break through our defenses, inflicting significant losses on them in personnel and equipment, reducing the offensive potential of enemy troops,” said Syrskyi, according to state news agency Ukrinform

He said: “In the Lyman and Kupiansk sectors, together with the commanders, we considered the issue of adequate response to the offensive actions of the enemy, increasing the effectiveness of fire damage to the enemy, combating drones of various types, ensuring the actions of our troops.”

Syrskyi added: “In the Bakhmut direction, we continue to carry out offensive actions. Step by step, amid strong enemy resistance, our fighters are liberating the territory, bringing our Victory closer!”

Syrskyi stressed: “On the Bakhmut axis, my work was devoted to the urgent problems of increasing the pace of the offensive, prospects for further actions, solving problems that prevent the successful completion of the assigned tasks.”

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported 30 combat engagements between Ukrainian forces and Russian troops on Thursday.

“The forces and assets of the Air Force, in cooperation with the air defenses of other elements of the Defense Forces, destroyed all 15 enemy Shaheds. Also, the enemy carried out one missile strike, 47 air strikes and fired 23 salvos from multiple rocket launchers at the positions of our troops and populated areas. Unfortunately, there are casualties among the civilian population,” the General Staff said.

According to the General Staff, on the Kupiansk axis, the aggressor carried out airstrikes outside Petropavlivka and Kislivka. The settlements of Odradne, Zapadne, Petropavlivka and Podoly in the Kharkiv region came under enemy artillery and mortar attacks. On the Lyman axis, the settlements of Nevske and Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region and Verkhniokamianske, Spirne and Torske in the Donetsk region were hit by enemy artillery shelling. On the Bakhmut axis, Ukrainian forces are restraining the enemy in areas south and southeast of Ivanivske. The aggressor carried out airstrikes outside the settlements of Chasiv Yar, Ivanivske and Druzhba. More than 15 settlements, including Rozdolivka, Markove, Bohdanivka, Ivanivske, Bila Hora and New York in the Donetsk region, were hit by enemy artillery shelling.

On the Zaporizhzhia axis, the enemy carried out airstrikes near Uspenivka and Mala Tokmachka, Zaporizhzhia region. The aggressors focus their main efforts on preventing the further advance of Ukrainian troops. More than 15 settlements, including Novodarivka, Chervone, Charivne, Shcherbaky, Pavlivka and Kamianske in the Zaporizhzhia region and Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region were hit by artillery fire. In the Kherson sector, the enemy launched an air strike outside Odradokamianka. More than 20 settlements, including Osokorivka, Kachkarivka, Novoberyslav, Kozatske, Kherson and Pervomaiske in the Kherson region, Dmytrivka and Ochakiv in the Mykolaiv region, were hit by artillery fire.

At the same time, Ukraine's defense forces continued to conduct an offensive operation in the Melitopol and Berdiansk sectors, entrenching themselves on the achieved lines and carrying out counter-battery measures.

“In the last 24 hours, the aircraft of the defense forces carried out eight strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment of the enemy and two strikes on the occupiers' anti-aircraft missile systems,” the General Staff said.

Ukrainian rocket and artillery units hit ten artillery pieces, a radar station, a command post, an area of concentration of weapons and military equipment, two air defense systems, and three enemy ammunition depots.

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