War update: 98 frontline clashes over past day, heavy Russian activity in five sectors
Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Forces and Russian troops were engaged in 98 combat clashes, with the enemy most active in the Pokrovsk, Kostiantynivka, Lyman, Huliaipole, and Oleksandrivka sectors of the front.
The AFU General Staff reported this on Facebook, citing operational information as of 08:00 on Friday, January 2, according to Ukrinform.
"Yesterday, the enemy carried out one missile strike and 51 airstrikes, fired one missile, and dropped 151 guided aerial bombs. In addition, they conducted 3,508 artillery shellings, including 49 from multiple-launch rocket systems, and deployed 6,237 kamikaze drones," the report states.
Airstrikes hit the settlements of Lisne in the Kharkiv region, Zaliznychne, Sviatopetrivka, Verkhnia Tersa, Huliaipole, Tsvitkove, Pryluky, and Varvarivka in the Zaporizhzhia region, and Prydniprovske in the Kherson region.
Over the past day, Ukrainian aviation, missile forces, and artillery struck four clusters of enemy personnel and two command posts.
In the Northern Slobozhanshchyna and Kursk sectors, the enemy carried out an airstrike, dropping one guided aerial bomb, and shelled settlements and Ukrainian positions 77 times.
In the Southern Slobozhanshchyna sector, three enemy attacks targeted Ukrainian positions near Vovchansk and Starytsia.
In the Kupiansk sector, no enemy offensive actions were recorded.
In the Lyman sector, Russian forces attacked 15 times, attempting to breach Ukrainian defenses near Novovodiane, Myrne, Kolodiazi, Zarichne, Novoyehorivka, Novoselivka, and Yampil.
In the Sloviansk sector, Ukrainian forces repelled two enemy offensives near Siversk and Sakko i Vantsetti.
In the Kramatorsk sector, the enemy conducted no offensives over the past day.
In the Kostiantynivka sector, Russian forces launched 15 attacks near Oleksandro-Shultyne, Pleshchiivka, Rusyn Yar, Yablunivka, Shcherbynivka, and toward Torske.
In the Pokrovsk sector, Ukrainian defenders repelled 23 assault actions near Nove Shakhove, Rodynske, Chervonyi Lyman, Pokrovsk, Kotlyne, Udachne, Molodetske, and toward Novopavlivka.
In the Oleksandrivka sector, the enemy conducted 12 attacks near Zelenyi Hai, Oleksandrohrad, Vorone, Verbove, Vyshneve, and Rybne.
In the Huliaipole sector, Ukrainian forces repelled 14 enemy advances near Solodke, Huliaipole, and toward Zelene.
In the Orikhiv sector, two attacks targeted Ukrainian positions toward Prymorske.
In the Prydniprovske sector, Ukrainian units repelled two Russian attacks in the direction of Antonivskyi Bridge.
In the Volyn and Polissia sectors, no signs of enemy offensive groupings were detected.
As previously reported, total Russian combat losses from February 24, 2022, to January 2, 2026, stand at approximately 1,209,880 personnel, including 910 in the past 24 hours.