Ukrainian military holds firm across Donbas contact line as Russia attempts to inch closer

The General Staff spoke about the situation in the Donbas
The General Staff spoke about the situation in the Donbas

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"The Russian enemy is firing on the positions of Ukrainian troops with the use of mortars, artillery, rocket-propelled grenade launchers along the entire contact line," reads the report.

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In the Sievierodonetsk direction, the Russian enemy is fighting Ukrainian forces in the area of the town of Rubizhne.

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The Ukrainian military says the Russian military is also trying to capture the town of Popasna, and combat is underway in that town. Taking both Rubizhne and Popasna would allow the Russian military to proceed with its planned encirclement of Ukrainian defenders in the Joint Forces Operation zone.

At the same time, the Russian enemy is trying to conduct offensive operation, though with limited success, in the Avdiyivka direction.

The General Staff notes that in the Kurakhove direction, Ukrainian troops have repelled Russian offensives in the direction of the settlements of Novomykhailivka and Maryinka.

Meanwhile, in the Zaporizhzhya direction, the Russian enemy is conducting offensive operation in the direction of the village of Trudoliubivka, and combat is ongoing.