Invaders can’t get out of Bakhmut, they are trapped – Maliar

"Our situation develops quite dynamically in all directions. And if we talk about the East, we make good progress in Bakhmut direction, this is actually what annoys the enemy the most, and that is why they try to divert our efforts in other directions. There we move along the southern flank. We have already reached many commanding heights, and actually the enemy is trapped there, because they cannot get out of Bakhmut and cannot fully advance through the city itself. And there, the battles in Klishchiyivka, Kurdiumivka, Andriyivka are the most talked about. Indeed, fighting is going on there. Little by little, we make progress there and we have success there," Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Maliar said during the United News national telethon.

She noted that the enemy was trying to divert attention in Kupyansk–Lyman direction to drag Ukrainian units.

"The situation intensified, two weeks ago they started very active operations – strikes, troops pulled up. Our troops stopped them very powerfully and destroyed them. They recover, regroup there now, and do not abandon their plans to move," Maliar added.

She also noted that enemy manpower was moving along the northern border.

"The Russians redeploy their troops to the reserves of the units they use in the offensive in Kupyansk and Lyman directions. This is a confirmation that they single out these directions for themselves," the deputy minister noted.

Regarding the situation in the East, Maliar noted that the enemy offensive continued in Avdiyivka and Maryinka areas, which the defense forces hold back.

"The enemy cannot take Maryinka under control, and this has been going on for almost a year, that's how powerfully we hold the defense. They want to surround Avdiyivka, they do not even intend to enter it because they are afraid to get involved in battles like in Bakhmut. In fact, Avdiyivka and Maryinka are one of the epicenters in the East," she said.

The deputy minister also emphasized that if the main direction for the enemy was the East, then for the Defense Forces it was the South.

"Our main direction of attack is the South. If the enemy focuses on the East and we mostly hold the defense there, except for Bakhmut direction, then the enemy holds the defense in the south. Zaporizhzhia region, Kherson region are under fire. The enemy holds the defense in these two regions. This means that we carry out offensive operations there," Maliar said.