Enemy entrenches itself in southern part of Hrabovske, Sumy region – military
Russian forces have entrenched themselves in the southern part of the border settlement of Hrabovske in the Sumy region, but made no further advance.
Viktor Trehubov, Head of the Communications Department of the Joint Forces Grouping, stated this during a TV broadcast, Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"Unfortunately, they [the occupiers] have entrenched themselves in the southern part of the settlement [Hrabovske]. And yes, their presence there remains," Trehubov said.
According to him, fighting in Hrabovske continues, but the enemy's advance has been blocked.
"There are constant clashes there, so to speak. They [Russian troops] cannot move further, but nevertheless they are currently entrenched within the settlement itself, which is a border one," Trehubov explained.
At the same time, he emphasized that the location of the settlement complicates defense.
"It must be understood that the settlement itself is located directly on the border. There is simply no operational depth that would allow placing something between them and the border," he said.
According to Trehubov, about a hundred Russian soldiers are present in the settlement.
"Somewhere around a hundred. I will not name an exact figure, but we estimate around a hundred," he said.
He added that these are trained servicemen from a Russian motorized rifle brigade.
"These are relatively regular fighters of a motorized rifle brigade… But these are people who have undergone training," he noted.
Commenting on the possible intentions of the enemy, Trehubov said there are currently no signs of a large-scale operation.
"To say that some kind of strategic operation is brewing there would be premature for now," he stressed, while suggesting that the actions of the Russian occupiers may have a different nature. "This looks more like a specific, isolated operation carried out for some informational or political purpose," Trehubov believes.
As reported by Ukrinform, on the front line over the past day, December 23, 126 combat engagements between the Defense Forces of Ukraine and Russian invaders were recorded.