Ukrainian Armed Forces in the south have broken through the first line of Russian defence, - Maliar

The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to conduct a counter-offensive against the Russian occupation forces. Ukrainian defenders in the south have in some places broken through the first line of defence of the invaders.

This statement was made by Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine Hanna Maliar. She said this during a nationwide telethon.

"Our forces continue to persistently carry out offensive actions (in the south - ed.), making their way through very serious enemy resistance. There is continuous artillery shelling and mining. But our troops in the south have already broken through the first line of defence in some places and moved to the intermediate line. There they are facing the fact that the enemy has built concrete fortifications on key heights, and this certainly complicates the movement of our forces and combat operations," said Maliar.

She clarified that for the enemy, the epicentre of the fighting is the east, because the Russians are placing their military stake on this direction.

"Their goal is to reach the borders of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. They want to seize the initiative, so our main offensive direction is the south, and for them it is the east," the deputy minister added.

Most of the Russian occupiers' forces are concentrated in the Kupyansk direction. They are also sending large forces to the Bakhmut direction. Very fierce fighting is taking place there. In addition, fierce fighting is taking place near Avdiivka and Maryinka. The enemy cannot advance, but is using all available weapons.

In addition, according to Maliar, the enemy is pulling up its reserves, including professional units, both in the south and in the east.

As reported by the General Staff, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled Russian occupants' attacks near Avdiivka, Maryinka, Blahodatne and Novopokrovka. There were 30 combat engagements in the area over the last day.

Ukraine's defence forces eliminated another 640 Russian occupants and 89 pieces of their equipment and weapons at the frontline over the last day. In particular, they burned a number of artillery systems and tanks and neutralised 27 drones that the aggressor had intended to use to attack our cities.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, Ukraine's defenders destroyed the occupiers' aerial reconnaissance point in the Lyman sector. The position from which the invaders launched their drones was discovered by the State Border Guard Service and passed the data to the Armed Forces artillery.

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