Russian forces trying to improve tactical positions in Kupiansk, Lyman directions

The spokesman for the National Guard of Ukraine, Ruslan Muzychuk, reported the update on the air of the national telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"In general, the Bakhmut direction, as well as the Avdiivka direction, are where the most active combat operations are currently ongoing, where enemy forces are trying to improve their tactical position in both the Kupjansk and Lyman directions," Muzychuk said.

According to the official, the National Guards units performing tasks in the area jointly with the Armed Forces are holding their ground.

"One of the goals (of the Russian Federation — ed.) is to advance to the administrative borders, in particular, of Donetsk region… And they employ all possible shock-assault moves there, using various tactics," the spokesman said.

Responding to a question on information about the statement of Wagner PMC chief Yevgeny Prigozhin regarding plans to capture Bakhmut before the New Year, the official expressed the opinion that such statements can be made, among other things, to maintain the morale of the Russian units fighting those battles.

"As for Bakhmut, (Russian  - ed.) losses there are quite massive, but they see no success. And therefore, such statements are supposed to also strengthen in a certain way the spirit of those units that are simply being pummeled there by our military," he said.

Muzychuk specified that, in general, Ukrainians have repeatedly seen that the plans of the Russian Federation are constantly changing, starting from the first statements about capturing Kyiv in a few days and ending with the fact that our full-scale fight with Russia has been going on for more than 300 days already.

As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that only a few civilians remain in Bakhmut, that there is no place in the area that was not covered in blood, and that not an hour goes by without the roar of artillery shelling.