Ukrainian forces on defensive in most areas, hold positions in Kherson Oblast – General Staff

Ukrainian defenders are "exhausting" the Russian army on the Melitopol front, consolidating their positions on the Bakhmut front, leading counter-battery actions on the Dnipro River's left (eastern) bank in Kherson Oblast, and repelling Russian attacks on most fronts.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 06:00 on 18 December

Details: The Ukrainian General Staff reported 64 combat engagements over the past 24 hours. The Russians launched a total of two missile strikes and 29 airstrikes and bombarded the positions of Ukrainian forces and populated areas 47 times using multiple-launch rocket systems.

The Russian occupying forces attacked Ukraine once again overnight, using five Shahed-136/131 kamikaze UAVs. Ukrainian air defence forces destroyed all of them.

Russian airstrikes targeted the following settlements: Petropavlivka (Kharkiv Oblast); Terny, Zvanivka, Novobakhmutivka, Avdiivka, Novomykhailivka and Paraskoviivka (Donetsk Oblast); and Krynky and Olhivka (Kherson Oblast).

Russian artillery fire affected more than 100 settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts.

The situation on key fronts:

• In the area of responsibility of the Pivnich (North) Operational Strategic Group on the Volyn and Polissia fronts, the operational situation remains unchanged.
• On the Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna fronts, Russian forces are maintaining their military presence in the border areas, undertaking sabotage activities to prevent Ukrainian troops from being deployed to vulnerable areas and increasing the density of minefields along the state border in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast.
• In the area of responsibility of the Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group on the Kupiansk front, Ukrainian defenders repelled nine Russian attacks near the settlement of Synkivka and east of the village of Petropavlivka (Kharkiv Oblast).
• On the Lyman front, Ukrainian troops repelled eight Russian attacks near the settlement of Makiivka (Luhansk Oblast) and east of Terny (Donetsk Oblast).
• On the Bakhmut front, the Ukrainian soldiers repelled five Russian attacks near the settlements of Bohdanivka, Klishchiivka and Andriivka (Donetsk Oblast). The Ukrainian Defence Forces are continuing to inflict losses in military personnel and equipment on the Russian occupying army and are consolidating their positions.
• In the area of responsibility of the Tavriia Operational Strategic Group on the Avdiivka front, the Ukrainian Defence Forces persisted in holding back the Russians, as they have never ceased their attempts to encircle the town of Avdiivka. Ukrainian soldiers are steadfastly holding the line, inflicting significant losses on the Russians. The Ukrainian army repelled 16 Russian attacks east of the village of Novobakhmutivka and the settlements of Stepove and Avdiivka and 11 more south of Tonenke, Nevelske and Pervomaiske (Donetsk Oblast).
• On the Marinka front, Ukrainian defenders are holding back the Russians near Novomykhailivka (Donetsk Oblast), repelling four attacks in the area.
• On the Shakhtarsk front, the Russians attempted no offensive (assault) actions.
• On the Zaporizhzhia front, Ukrainian troops repelled four Russian attacks west of the villages of Verbove and Robotyne (Zaporizhzhia Oblast).
• Meanwhile, on the Melitopol front, Ukrainian defenders are taking active steps to inflict losses in military personnel and equipment on the Russian occupying forces, exhausting them along the entire line of contact.
• In the area of responsibility of the Odesa Operational Strategic Group on the Kherson front, Ukrainian troops are continuing to hold their positions on the Dnipro River’s left bank, conducting counter-battery operations and striking the Russian rear.

Quote: "Ukrainian aircraft struck a cluster of Russian military personnel, weapons and equipment, as well as two enemy anti-aircraft missile systems.

Ukraine’s Rocket Forces and Artillery units struck four clusters of Russian military personnel, weapons and equipment, an artillery unit and an enemy ammunition storage point."

Background:

• The New York Times recently reported that the Ukrainian military, including marines, have reported significant Ukrainian losses on the Dnipro River's left (eastern) bank in Kherson Oblast, describing the operations there as "suicidal" and "wasteful". The fiercest fighting was taking place in the village of Krynky, where Ukrainian troops seized a narrow strip of fishermen's houses.
• Earlier, UK Defence Intelligence had reported that a division of Russian airborne troops had suffered extremely heavy casualties in an attempt to drive Ukrainian forces out of the village of Krynky on Dnipro's left bank in Kherson Oblast, whereas Vladimir Putin claimed otherwise.

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