LIVE – War in Ukraine: the Kurakhove region, at the heart of the fighting on the front

Fighting is intense in the Khourakhove region. Considered a hot spot on the front between Ukrainians and Russians, the area experienced at least ten exchanges of fire between the two armies on Sunday, December 15, according to the daily update of the Ukrainian general staff. “With the aim of capturing Khourakhove at all costs, the enemy is carrying out active assault operations on the southeastern outskirts of the city,” reported the kyiv army, specifying that the Russians benefit in the region from a “significant advantage in terms of personnel and equipment”.

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Ukraine is in difficulty on the eastern front, with Moscow also claiming on Sunday to have conquered villages in two strategic sectors, notably approaching Pokrovsk, an important city for the logistics of the Ukrainian army. Moscow’s forces have “liberated” the village of Vesely Gai, south of the industrial town of Kurakhové, and that of Pushkin, south of Pokrovsk, both in the Donetsk region, the Russian Defense Ministry assured. The Russians have accelerated their incursion into this region, a target for months.

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Russian soldiers seized more Ukrainian territory last November than in any other month since March 2022, according to an AFP analysis based on data from the Institute for the Study of war based in the United States. The Ukrainian force grouping in Khortytsia reported on Sunday “exhausting confrontations” ongoing in the surrounding area and in the town of Kourakhové, as well as further north in the town of Tchassiv Yar, perched on a hill and taken by storm.

“The situation is complex and changing. Our troops are currently organizing to improve the tactical situation”commented on this military group on the Telegram network.