In the Southern direction, the Russian army continues shelling and carries out assault operations, with the hottest fighting taking place in the Novopavlivka sector, where the enemy is trying to break through towards the administrative border of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
This was reported on air by the spokesperson of the Southern Defense Forces, Vladyslav Voloshyn.
“There has never been complete silence in the South — or any silence at all — because the enemy continues artillery shelling, drone attacks with kamikaze drones, and also carries out airstrikes using both guided aerial bombs and unguided rockets. They are also actively conducting assault operations, and the number of such actions is quite high. It varies across directions, but for example, in the Novopavlivka sector, there have been as many as 24 combat engagements. The enemy is quite active in the south,” Voloshyn said.
According to the spokesperson, the enemy is most active in the Novopavlivka direction, where they are trying to break through towards the administrative borders of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
“A significant amount of enemy assault infantry is concentrated there today. These are assault units from four Russian regiments trying to carry out offensive actions in a relatively small area of the frontline. Ukraine’s Defense Forces are conducting mobile defense operations and attempting to destroy the enemy. The enemy is suffering heavy losses here — about 150 personnel per day,” Voloshyn said.
He added that during these assaults, the enemy uses a large amount of motorcycle equipment, which is also being destroyed by the Defense Forces.
In the Orikhiv direction, the enemy is trying to break through the defensive lines and seize a foothold near the settlements of Stepove, Lobkove, and Mali Shcherbaky.
“They want to gain control over this foothold to place our logistics routes from Zaporizhzhia to the east — to Huliaipole and Orikhiv — under fire control, and also to conduct strikes from there against the southern and eastern outskirts of the city of Zaporizhzhia itself. That’s why, for several months now, they have been unsuccessfully carrying out assault operations in this area,” Voloshyn explained.
At the same time, he noted that the occupiers are not experiencing a shortage of kamikaze drones. According to the spokesperson, over the past day, more than 600 kamikaze drone attacks and 300 drop drones using over 400 munitions were recorded. Overall, the enemy has increased the number of such attacks by 20% recently.
Voloshyn emphasized that the Defense Forces are effectively destroying Russian artillery systems thanks to successful counter-battery operations. When the enemy has less artillery available, it compensates with increased use of drones and aviation.
Regarding the situation in the Zaporizhzhia direction, the spokesperson reminded that Russian forces are trying to break through to Dnipropetrovsk region by attempting to capture Zelene Pole, Vilne Pole, Novopil, and Novosilka.
“Fierce and active fighting is ongoing there today. However, the Defense Forces are conducting positional defense and are trying to keep the enemy out by inflicting heavy losses,” Voloshyn stated.
