Heavy fighting has been reported in several locations along the frontline in eastern Ukraine, as Kyiv’s military leadership claims more than 50 assaults have been repelled.
Ukraine’s military leadership on Wednesday said that there have been 166 “combat clashes” over the past 24 hours, adding that areas around Pokrovsk and Kurakhivsk in Donetsk in the east, were flashpoints for fighting.
“In the Pokrovsk area, Russian invaders tried to dislodge our units from the occupied lines in the areas of Myrolyubivka, Promin, Lysivka, Selydove settlements,” Ukraine’s General Staff said.
“Our defenders repelled 56 assaults. The greatest concentration of enemy attacks was near Selydove,” it said.
Pokrovsk is a crucial supply hub and is located at the crossroads of Ukraine’s most important rail supply routes and forms the backbone of the Ukrainian defense supply line from Vuhledar to the north of the Donetsk region.
Russian forces have been slowly grinding their way towards the key town with attacks intensifying in recent weeks.
Pro-Russian military bloggers, meanwhile, claimed that Russian forces were storming four towns in eastern Ukraine in an effort to expand their footprint in Donbas.
The towns in question were said to be Selydove, Hirnyk, Kurakhove and Toretsk.
Prominent Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger Yuri Podolyaka said Russian forces were attacking Hirnyk from several directions and there was fighting in the center of the town, which had a pre-war population of over 10,000 people.
Podolyaka said that events were “unfolding rapidly” with his accounts being confirmed by a number of other prominent Pro-Russian bloggers.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense has not yet commented.
