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General: Russia conducting fewer assault operations in southeast

1 min read

Russian forces are conducting fewer assault operations in the southeast but intensifying their air attacks once again, General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, head of the Tavria group of Ukrainian forces, said on Dec. 10.

The Tavria group is fighting on the southeastern front lines, including the southern part of Donetsk Oblast and Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Tarnavskyi said on Telegram that Ukrainian forces were holding on to Avdiivka despite Russia's endless attempts to encircle the embattled city.

The general's report comes as the weather worsens due to winter and ground maneuvering becomes more complicated, especially through the mud. Now that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has run out of steam without achieving its objectives, a lengthy war of attrition is likely ahead.

In the same report, Tarnavskyi claimed that Ukraine had killed over 300 Russian soldiers in his command's operational areas and destroyed three Russian BMD-4 infantry vehicles and two fuel depots.  

The Ukrainian military has not disclosed its own casualty figures throughout the war.

Tarnavskyi added that Ukraine had repelled two Russian assault operations near the liberated village of Staromaiorske on the Velyka Novosilka axis.

Since Ukrainian marines who liberated a number of villages on the axis were transferred to another front last summer, Kyiv has been on the defensive there and trying to prevent Russian forces from recapturing its gains.

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Asami Terajima

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Asami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering Ukrainian military issues, front-line developments, and politics. She is the co-author of the weekly War Notes newsletter. She previously worked as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post focusing on international trade, infrastructure, investment, and energy. Originally from Japan, Terajima moved to Ukraine during childhood and completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in the U.S. She is the winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism 2023 (Local Reporter category) and the George Weidenfeld Prize, awarded as part of Germany's Axel Springer Prize 2023. She was also featured in the Media Development Foundation’s “25 under 25: Young and Bold” 2023 list of emerging media makers in Ukraine.

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