Russian forces have ramped up their assaults near Makiivka in the Lyman direction and towards Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine's Land Forces, reported on Oct. 14.
Russia is aiming to defeat the Ukrainian grouping of troops in the area, encircle Kupiansk, and "reach the Oskil river," Colonel General Syrskyi said, as cited by the Defense Ministry's media center.
According to the crowdsourced online map Deep State, Russian forces have already reached this river along some areas of the front line.
Igor Kossov
Russia reportedly carries out dozens of attacks on the Kupiansk-Lyman axis per day, supporting assault groups with armored vehicles and conducting heavy mortar and artillery fire on Ukrainian positions.
At the same time, Russian troops have suffered "significant losses" without substantial success so far, added Syrskyi, who heads military operations in the east.
The ground forces commander reported visiting units of the Lyman grouping. He was briefed on the current battlefield situation and took "decisions on further actions."
Meanwhile, Russia has ramped up its assaults against Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast, using the infamous "human wave" attacks. However, reports suggest the new offensive hasn't made much progress since its start on Oct. 10.
Martin Fornusek
