Russia attempted armored assaults in Zaporizhzhia region – military spokesperson
Nearly 70 combat engagements were recorded in the Zaporizhzhia region over the past day.
Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces, said this on Ukrainian television, Ukrinform reports.
"Almost 70 combat clashes were recorded across three southern Zaporizhzhia axes – Orikhiv, Huliaipole and Oleksandrohrad. The day before, there were 87," Voloshyn said.
He noted that Russia maintains high assault activity, predominantly using small infantry groups of three, five or seven troops.
At the same time, he said that near Verbove, Russian forces attempted an assault with tanks.
"The assault group included one vehicle, one tank, and two other armored vehicles. The enemy is also actively using motorcycles," he said.
According to Voloshyn, on the Oleksandrohrad axis, where motorcycles are involved in assault groups, Russian forces are also trying to use vehicles including trucks. One such attempted assault with a truck was recorded there.
He added that due to unfavorable weather conditions, particularly fog, Russia cut its use of strike, drop-capable, and reconnaissance drones by nearly half over the past day. However, infiltration attempts by small Russian groups did not decrease.
"Our units are conducting search-and-strike operations to detect and destroy enemy sabotage groups. The number of such engagements has remained roughly the same – up to about ten clashes in which we destroy enemy sabotage groups," Voloshyn said.
Regarding guided aerial bombs and aviation, Russia has somewhat increased their use, while FPV drone use has risen almost threefold compared to summer.
"Now it's roughly 1,500-2,000 [FPVs] at minimum across the three Zaporizhzhia axes. And the more intense the assaults, the more drones they use," he said.
Voloshyn also reported a weekly 5-7% increase in Russian artillery use and ammunition consumption.
On the islands near Kherson, Russia has reduced assault attempts but increased the volume of weaponry used to strike the right bank of the Dnipro.
"In the island zone, we record 10-12 assault actions per week, one or two per day – mainly near the Antonivka bridges and Velykyi Vilkhovyi island. The enemy has not stopped [its activity] – it is more akin to reconnaissance and search operations conducted by sabotage groups. They probe our defenses, identify minefields and our firing positions in order to target them. However, they are not currently attempting any serious river crossings," he said.
He added that Russian forces are regrouping units deployed in this area.
Illustrative photo: Luhansk Regional Military Administration