The Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Col-Gen Oleksandr Syrskyy, has visited the defence forces in the Kupyansk sector, Kharkiv Region, due to the deteriorating situation, according to Military Media Centre.
"Due to the complication of the situation in the Kupyansk sector, I spent most of the day working in the units that are defending the outskirts of the city. The enemy is trying to break through the defences of our troops with assault units, manned mainly by prisoners, on a daily basis in different directions, with the aim of blocking and then capturing Kupyansk," Syrskyy said.
As a result, a number of important decisions were made that will ensure the reliability of defence.
According to him, the Russians are regrouping in the Lyman sector, replacing units that have lost their combat capability as a result of losses and do not abandon plans for new offensives.
"Our task is to make the most of this situation and significantly improve our position. My commanders and I have worked out the necessary decisions directly in the combat zone," he said.
The situation in the Bakhmut sector is difficult but under control. The Russians are counterattacking, mining, intensively shelling and using aircraft. However, in such difficult conditions, the Ukrainian defence forces are gradually advancing.
"With the commanders of the brigades fighting in the Bakhmut sector, we discussed topical issues of increasing the effectiveness of offensive actions, fire damage to the enemy and a number of other measures aimed at achieving victory over the enemy," he said.
In the Kupyansk sector, Russia conducted unsuccessful offensives in the areas southeast of Vilshany and east of Petropavlivka in Kharkiv Region. It carried out air strikes in the areas of Ivanivka, Zahryzove, Vilshany in Kharkiv Region and Stelmakhivka in Luhansk Region. Russian artillery and mortar attacks targeted the towns of Kupyansk, Pishchane, and Cherneshchyna in Kharkiv Region.