Our main direction of attack is South, enemy’s - East, - Ministry of Defense
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are advancing in the direction of Bakhmut, and Russian troops are trying to attack in the area of Avdiivka, Mariinka, and Kupiansk.
Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Maliar told about this, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.
"Our situation is developing quite dynamically in all directions. And if we talk about the East, we are advancing quite well in the Bakhmut direction. This is actually what annoys the enemy the most, and that is why they are trying to divert our efforts in other directions. There we are moving along the southern flank. We have already reached many commanding heights, and the enemy is actually trapped there because they cannot get out of Bakhmut and cannot fully advance through the city itself. And there, the most talked about now are the battles in Klishchivka, Kurdiumivka, Andriivka. Indeed, there are ongoing battles. Little by little we are making progress there and we are having success there," Maliar emphasized.
As for the Kupiansk-Lyman direction, the deputy minister noted that the enemy is trying to divert attention there in order to drag units of the Defense Forces. "There was an activation, two weeks ago they started very active - shelling, the troops pulled up. Ours stopped them very powerfully and destroyed them. They are recovering, are now regrouping there and are not abandoning their plans to move there," Maliar added.
The official also noted that enemy manpower is moving along the northern border. "The Russians are transferring their troops to the reserves of those units that they are using in the offensive in the Kupiansk and Lyman directions. This is confirmation that they are emphasizing these directions for themselves," the deputy minister noted.
Regarding the situation in the East, Maliar noted that the enemy offensive continues in the Avdiivka and Mariinka area, which the Defense Forces are holding back.
"The enemy actually can't take Mariinka under control, and it's been going on for almost a year, that's how powerful we are holding the defense. They want to surround Avdiivka, they're not even going to go there, because they're afraid of getting caught up in battles like the one in Bakhmut, and in fact, Avdiivka and Mariinka are one of the epicenters in the East," said the representative of the Ministry of Defense.
The deputy minister also emphasized that if the main direction of the enemy is the East, then for the Defense Forces of Ukraine it is the South.
"Our main direction of attack is the South. If for the enemy the East is and we are mostly on the defensive there, except for the Bakhmut direction, then in the South, the enemy is on the defensive. Zaporizhzhia region and Kherson region are under fire. In these two regions, the enemy is on the defensive. This means that we are carrying out offensive actions there," said Malyar.
