Ukraine holding back enemy offensive on Bakhmut, Melitopol axes

This was announced by the spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Andriy Kovaliov, who spoke on the air of the national telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The defense forces of Ukraine continue to restrain the advance of Russian troops in the Bakhmut and Melitopol areas," he said.

Kovaliov added that in the Melitopol direction, the Ukrainian military continues to inflict significant losses to the enemy's manpower and equipment, forcing the enemy to withdraw from their positions.

"As a result of the assault effort, the Ukrainian forces have achieved partial success in the Robotyne area, Zaporizhzhia region," said the spokesman for the General Staff.

At the same time, according to Kovaliov, in the direction of Bakhmut, the Defense Forces are pursuing their offensive effort south of the town Bakhmut, seeing partial success in the Klishchiivka area, Donetsk region, inflicting significant losses on enemy forces in terms of manpower and equipment, and also restraining the advance of Russian troops.

"The enemy performed unsuccessful offensive actions in the Orikhovo-Vasylivka area, Donetsk region," he added.

The spokesman for the General Staff emphasized that Ukrainian troops continue to restrain the advance of the Russian army in the Avdiivka and Marinka areas, "where the enemy made more than 20 unsuccessful attempts to dislodge our units from their positions in the past day."

At the same time, the enemy undertook unsuccessful assault attempts near Novomykhailivka, Donetsk region, and south of Novodarivka, Zaporizhia region.

Kovaliov noted that the Russian invaders had been shelling Ukraine’s positions in the Lyman and Kupiansk directions.

"Thirty-four combat clashes took place during the past day. The enemy launched seven missile attacks and 35 air strikes, as well as over 56 attacks involving multiple rocket launchers," said the spokesman for the General Staff.

Since day-start, Russian invaders have launched a massive strike involving 44 one-way attack UAVs against the civilian infrastructure in Odesa and Sumy regions.

"According to tentative reports, the Air Defense Forces destroyed 32 attack drones," Kovaliov said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Russia’s military death toll as of September 13 has amounted to 270,350. The General Staff reports that 590 Russian invaders were killed in action in the past day alone.