“As of now, the main direction of the enemy's offensive remains the Kupiansk area. Here, the enemy has formed an offensive group and is trying to advance, but without success,” said Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar on Telegram.
She said: “The operational situation is difficult, but under control. The defense forces of Ukraine are courageously holding back the enemy's offensive there.”
Maliar added that Russians have been conducting unsuccessful offensive actions in the Sinkivka district of Kharkiv region for several days already.
“The enemy’s objective in the Kupiansk direction is to break through the defenses of our troops and move directly to Kupiansk. The intensity of combat operations and enemy shelling is high. In some positions, there are several changes of positions per day. All necessary decisions to strengthen our stability were quickly made on the ground by commanders and higher command of the eastern group of troops,” she said.
Meanwhile in the Bakhmut direction, she said: “We continue to carry out offensive actions on the southern flank around the town of Bakhmut, getting hold of the gained positions. The enemy is going for constant assaults to try to restore their lost positions on the outskirts of Klishchiivka and in the Zaytseve area.”
She added: “Both in the east and in the south, the enemy is currently suffering significant losses in terms of manpower, weapons, and equipment. Our defense forces have significantly reduced the offensive and defensive potential of the enemy these days and are preventing them from implementing their plans.”
Separately, artillery units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine performed 1,545 fire missions in the Tavria direction over the past day. Those missions led to the Russian army losing 244 soldiers killed, wounded and captured (93 killed, 150 wounded, and one captured), General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of the Tavria Operational-Strategic Group of Troops said on Telegram.
He added that “18 units of Russian military equipment were also destroyed, including three tanks, six armored fighting vehicles, three artillery systems and mortars, two anti-aircraft guns, an unmanned aerial vehicle and three vehicles.”
Additionally, eight enemy ammunition depots and a control/command observation post were destroyed.