Bakhmut, Soledar are epicenters of battles this week - Ukraine's Ministry of Defense

Deputy Head of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense Hanna Maliar said this on the air of the telethon, RBC-Ukraine reports.

“The intensity is different, because it is dynamic, and that is understandable. We had periods when we provided news every day. For example, about liberated settlements. There are periods when we have an active defense, like now. The epicenter of this week is Bakhmut and Soledar, and the Donetsk direction in general,” the official said. 

She noted that Ukraine's Armed Forces repel dozens of enemy attacks per day and advance, despite the Russian forces' fierce resistance. 

“It is happening so dynamically that when we summarize and analyze in a day, the main thing is that Ukraine does not surrender a single centimeter of land. But the process that is taking place is an active attempt by the enemy to reach the borders of the Donetsk region, so the fighting there continues fiercely,” Maliar said. 

She emphasized that the main task for Ukraine's Armed Forces is to stabilize the liberated territories and prepare for a further offensive.

“If we talk about the situation on the fronts in general, then it can be characterized as preparation for the liberation of our territories and consolidation in the territories that we have already liberated. Stabilization measures are ongoing there. Therefore, this is actually the main task now,” the deputy head of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense said. 

• Ukraine's Security Service recently caught the adjuster of the Russian missile strikes on Bakhmut.