Kiev [Ukraine], January 5: CNN reported on January 5 that the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army said that Russia is focusing on attacking in the directions of Lyman, Bakhmut and Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine.
"Russia is trying to improve the tactical situation in the Kupyansk direction. In the direction of Kupyansk and Lyman, 15 areas were hit by tank fire and the full range of artillery fire," the statement said.
Kupyansk in Kharkiv province and Lyman in Donetsk are two regions that Ukraine regained control at the end of September 2022.
According to Sputnik on January 4, citing a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian side lost 40 more soldiers in the direction of Kupyansk, and Russia neutralized "a Ukrainian sabotage group" in Kharkiv province.
In addition, the Russian Air Force also shot down a MiG-29 and a Ukrainian Su-25 in the Kramatorsk and Mykolaiv regions. The statement also said that Ukraine lost more than 100 soldiers in the direction of Donetsk, where Russian forces also destroyed two US-made radar systems, and 150 soldiers died in the direction of Lyman.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian border guards said they repelled the attacks and recaptured some Russian positions in the direction of Bakhmut, causing Russia the loss of 9 soldiers and wounding 20. "Now the self-defense forces have advanced 300 meters and reinforced their positions," it said.
The Ukrainian military also said that more than 30 areas in the direction of Bakhmut and Avdiivka were hit by Russian fire.
In Bakhmut, PavloKyrylenko, the head of Ukraine's Donetsk region's military service, said 60 percent of the city had been destroyed.
"No matter how hard they tried, the Russian forces could not advance to enter the city. Whenever they move forward, they are also pushed back to their previous position, which is outside the city limits," he said.
Bakhmut is considered the fiercest place along the 1,300-kilometer front in Ukraine and is now a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. Speaking for about 25 minutes in parliament last month, Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky spent six minutes talking about the situation around Bakhmut.
"Last year, 70,000 people lived in Bakhmut. Now only a few people remain. Every inch of the ground was soaked with blood, the gunshots rang out every hour," he described. Russia and Ukraine have not commented on each other's information.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper