AFU repel over 80 enemy attacks in 5 directions – General Staff

On March 22, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) repelled 83 Russian attacks in five directions.

This follows from a statement by the General Staff of the AFU posted on Facebook.

The Russian Federation continues its armed aggression against Ukraine and does not abandon its intentions to occupy the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions fully. The enemy continues to conduct offensive operations in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, Mariyinka, and Shakhtarsk directions and defends in the others. on March 22, AFU units repelled 83 enemy attacks on the eastern part of the front.

The Russian aggressor continues to use his usual tactics of terrorizing the civilian population, shelling populated areas and critical infrastructure facilities.

On March 22, the enemy launched a missile attack on Zaporizhzhia. Russian rockets hit a residential high-rise building. There are dead and wounded civilians.

Also, the enemy carried out 48 airstrikes, particularly on civilian objects of critical infrastructure in the Zhytomyr Region and Kyiv Region. The occupiers used 21 Shahed-136 UAVs from the Bryansk Oblast of the Russian Federation, and 16 of these drones were shot down. Civilians have been killed and wounded as a result of enemy UAV strikes. In addition, the invaders launched 75 attacks from multiple rocket launchers.

In the Volyn, Polisskyi, Siversk, and Slobozhanskyi directions, the operational situation has not changed significantly, and the formation of offensive groups of the enemy has not been detected. The Russian leadership continues to use the infrastructure of the Republic of Belarus to train its troops. The enemy maintains a military presence in the border areas. During the day, the enemy shelled the areas of Khrinivka, Arkhypivka, and Mykhalchyna Sloboda settlements of the Chernihiv Region; Demiyanivka, Esman, Atynske, Iskryskivshchyna, Bilopillia, Volfyne, Pavlivka, Basivka, Yunakivka, and Krasnopillia in Sumy Region, and Basove, Hoptivka, Strelecha, Vesele, Vovchansk, Okhrimivka, Krasne Pershe, and Kindrashivka in the Kharkiv Region.

In the Kupiyansk and Lyman directions, the enemy continues to try to break our defenses. The enemy conducted unsuccessful offensives in the areas of Makiyivka, Bilohorivka, and Verkhniokamiyanske settlements, and carried out artillery shelling of the Krokhmalne areas of the Kharkiv Region; Novoselivske, Nevske, and Bilohorivka in the Luhansk Region, as well as Terna, Kolodiazi, Siversk, Verkhniokamiyanske, and Spirne in the Donetsk Region.

In the Bakhmut direction, the enemy continues to conduct offensive operations, losing a significant amount of manpower, weapons, and military equipment. Our defenders repel numerous enemy attacks around the clock in the Bakhmut, Bohdanivka, and Predtechyne areas. More than 15 settlements near the contact line, including Vasiukivka, Mynkivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Hryhorivka, Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar, Oleksandro-Shultyne, Pivnichne, and Pivdenne of the Donetsk Region, were hit by enemy shelling.

In the Avdiyivka, Mariyinka, and Shakhtarsk directions, the enemy carried out offensive actions in the areas of Novokalynove, Stepove, Berdychi, Avdiyivka, Lastochkyne, Sieverne, Vodiane, Pervomaiske, Marinka, and Pobieda settlements; the enemy was unsuccessful. More than 20 districts of settlements, in particular, Avdiyivka, Tonenke, Sieverne, Vodiane, Pervomaiske, Nevelske, Netailove, Mariyinka, Novomykhailivka, and Vuhledar of the Donetsk Region, came under enemy shelling.

In the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, the enemy is conducting defensive operations. Areas of more than 45 settlements near the contact line, including Malynivka, Novodanylivka, Novoandriyivka, and Mali Shcherbaky of the Zaporizhzhia Region, as well as Havrylivka, Ivanivka, Zelenivka, Dniprovske, and the city of Kherson, were shelled.

The General Staff reported that in the settlements of Reshetylivske, Chumatske, and Kostiantynivka of the Zaporizhzhia Region, the Russian occupiers conducted a tour of the houses of local residents and warned about the need to stay in safe places with a ban on leaving their homes. This may indirectly indicate the efforts of the Russian occupiers to make it impossible for the local population to observe the enemy's planned transfer of its manpower and military equipment to the line of combat, the General Staff believes.

During the day, Ukrainian aviation struck the enemy's anti-aircraft missile complex, as well as 12 strikes on the areas where the personnel and military equipment of the occupiers were concentrated.

In addition, units of missile troops and artillery hit one command post, three enemy personnel concentration areas, an ammunition depot, and one enemy radio-electronic warfare station.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, according to data as of Wednesday morning, March 22, the Ukrainian military eliminated another 920 Russian soldiers; the total number of losses of the Russian army since the beginning of the invasion is 167,490 soldiers. In addition, the servicemen of the AFU destroyed five tanks, eight armored vehicles, and 16 UAVs.

In addition, Commander-in-Chief of the AFU Valery Zaluzhnyi stated that the defensive operation in the Bakhmut direction is key to the stability of the defense of the entire front.

Earlier, it was reported that the Ukrainian missile forces, artillery, and aviation managed to create a "net of death" for the Russian invaders.