AFU hit 3 Russian military positions, command post, munitions depot: situation at front

The Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff reported this. 

According to detailed information of the General Staff, on December 16, the Russian forces launched 70 cruise missiles and 4 guided air missiles over Ukraine. 60 cruise missiles were shot down by the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces. 

According to the General Staff, the occupying Russian forces continue to strengthen the defense line on the administrative border of the Kherson region and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The Russian troops are also strengthening the defense and protection of water supply facilities to the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea, in particular the North Crimean Canal. For this purpose, additional units of mobilized personnel from the Krasnodar region were sent to help.

The situation in the main directions

On the border with Belarus, the situation hasn't changed significantly, and no signs of formation of enemy offensive groups have been detected. 

In the northeastern Ukrainian border in the Sumy and Kharkiv region, the Russian enemy shelled the areas of 10 settlements with mortars and artillery.

In the Kupiansk direction, the occupying Russian forces shelled populated areas of the Kharkiv and Luhansk region with tanks, mortars, barrel and rocket artillery. Synkivka, Orlianka, Tabaivka, Berestove, Vyshneve, Volodymyrivka, and Stelmakhivka came under fire.

In the Lyman direction, the Russian forces shelled the Ukrainian troops' positions with tanks and various caliber artillery near Makiivka, Chervonpopivka, Dibrova, and Hirske in the Luhansk region.

In the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions of the Donetsk region, the Russian troops continue to storm Ukrainian positions to try to break through the defense line. Areas of more than 20 settlements were shelled.

In the Vuhledar direction of the Donetsk region, the enemy shelled the vicinity of Neskuchne, Prechystivka, as well as Vuhledar. 

In the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, the Russian forces are shelling the right bank of the Dnipro River. During the day, more than 30 settlements were affected, including Plavni, Huliaipole, Dorozhnianka, Nikopol, Chornobaivka, Antonivka, Kherson, Mykilske, Tokarivka, and Mylove. 

• On the morning of December 16, Russia launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine. As a result of the strikes, several energy infrastructure facilities and residential buildings were hit in the Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.