Invaders trying to advance near Bakhmut, AFU repel 16 enemy attacks in Donbas – General Staff

Russian troops continue to concentrate their efforts on the Bakhmut direction, they had no success in the Avdiyivka and Kupiyansk directions after the offensive.

This follows from a statement by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the morning briefing.

During the past day, Russian occupiers conducted three missile launches, 13 airstrikes, and 68 attacks using MLRSes, in particular, on the civil infrastructure of the cities of Bakhmut, Kostiantynivka, and Kurakhove of the Donetsk Region; Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk Region and Kherson. There are victims, seriously wounded and dead among the civilian population.

The enemy continues to focus its efforts on conducting an offensive in the Bakhmut direction.

Over the past day, units of the AFU repelled the attacks of the occupiers in the areas of the settlements of Stelmakhivka and Ploschanka of the Luhansk Region and Bilohorivka, Soledar, Chervona Hora, Vyimka, Pidhorodne, Bakhmut, Kurdiumivka, Mayorsk, Pivnichne, Vodiane, Krasnohorivka, Vesele, Mariyinka, and Pobieda in the Donetsk Region.

On the Siversk and Slobozhanskyi directions, the districts of Kamiyanska Sloboda, Chernihiv Region, were hit by tank, mortar and artillery shelling; Kustyne, Maiske, and Pavlivka in Sumy Region; and Krasne, Starytsia, Ohirtseve, Hatyshche, Vovchansk, Ustynivka, and Fiholivka in the Kharkiv Region.

Areas of 20 settlements were affected by fire in the Kupiyansk and Lyman directions. Among them were Ivanivka, Kupiyansk, Dvorichna, Vilshana, Kyslivka, Kotliarivka, and Krokhmalne in the Kharkiv Region; and Makiyivka, Ploshanka, and Dibrova in the Luhansk Region.

Areas of more than 40 settlements were shelled in the Bakhmut and Avdiyivka directions. In particular, these are Verkhniokamiyanske, Bilohorivka, Bakhmut, Bila Hora, Dyliyivka, Avdiyivka, Nevelske, Krasnohorivka, Mariyinka, and Novomykhailivka of the Donetsk Region.

In the Novopavlovsk direction, enemy fire was recorded near the settlements of Zolota Nyva, Vuhledar, Mykilski Dachi, and Prechystivka in the Donetsk Region.

In the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, the areas of more than 45 settlements were affected by the fire. The civil infrastructure of Poltavka, Huliaipilske, Mala Tokmachka, and Stepove settlements of the Zaporizhzhia Region; and Kherson, Novosilka, Tiahynka, and Sadove were damaged by tank, mortar and artillery shelling.

During the past day, the Air Force of the AFU made 20 strikes on enemy concentration areas, as well as five strikes on the positions of its anti-aircraft missile systems.

Over the previous day, in the eastern direction, the units of the anti-aircraft missile forces of the Air Force of the AFU destroyed a Russian Su-25 attack aircraft, a Ka-52 attack helicopter, and an Orlan-10 operational-tactical UAV.

Soldiers of missile troops and artillery of the AFU carried out fire damage to three control points, four areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment, and two enemy ammunition depots.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on January 4, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Maliar announced that Russia intends to wage war against Ukraine for a long time, as evidenced by preparations for mobilization.

On January 3, the Defense intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that this year the Russian invaders may simultaneously launch a new offensive from the north or east.

Meanwhile, as a result of hostilities, Bakhmut was destroyed for more than 60%.