Kyiv: Russian military increases number of attacks

The Russian military has stepped up its efforts to capture Ukrainian towns and villages in recent days, according to the Ukrainian military.

"The occupying forces have significantly increased the number of attacks and assaults - for the second day in a row, the enemy has carried out 50 combat operations," brigadier general Oleksandr Tarnavskyi wrote on his Telegram channel on Saturday.

Tarnavskyi, who is responsible for the front section in the south and south-east of Ukraine, said that the number of airstrikes has also increased.

The figures cited by Tarnavskyi apparently refer to the southern part of the Donetsk region. He explicitly mentioned strikes against the towns of Myrnohrad and Novohrodiivka, which are located close to the front and which were hit with converted air defence missiles the day before.

Moscow launched a new offensive in the area in the autumn of 2023 to capture the town of Avdiivka, which borders directly on the large city of Donetsk and has been controlled by Russian forces since 2014.

According to media reports, after initially gaining ground, the Russians are barely making any progress despite the large amount of manpower and equipment they have deployed.

The Russian military reported the capture of small town of Maryinka, which lies in ruins to the south of Donetsk, at the end of December. Despite intensive attacks, the Russian forces have not succeeded in making any further advances.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion with massive Western support for nearly two years.