211 combat clashes occur on Russian-Ukrainian front on Dec. 20 - General Staff

The Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff reported this as of 8:00 a.m. on December 21.

According to the updated information, yesterday the Russian forces launched six missile attacks on the Ukrainian positions and populated areas using 19 missiles, as well as 34 air strikes, and dropped 64 guided aerial bombs. In addition, they carried out about five thousand attacks, including 198 from multiple launch rocket systems, and used 2,230 kamikaze drones to attack.  

10 settlements in Sumy region; 1 settlement in Chernihiv region; 1 settlement in Kharkiv region; 12 settlements in Donetsk region; 1 settlement in Zaporizhzhia region were hit by Russian air strikes.

Over the past day, Ukrainian aviation, missile forces and artillery of the Defense Forces conducted 16 attacks on the Russian troops' concentration areas, weapons and equipment, and three UAV control points were destroyed.  

Frontline update

In the Kharkiv direction, one combat engagement with Russian invaders took place in the area of Vovchansk yesterday.  

The number of combat engagements in the Kupyansk direction reached eleven over the last day. Ukrainian defense forces repelled the invaders' attacks in the areas of Kucherivka, Synkivka, Petropavlivka, Zahryzove and Lozova.

In the Lyman direction, Ukrainian troops stopped 16 Russian attacks. The invaders concentrated their main efforts in the areas of Yampolivka, Terny, Novoserhiivka, Zelenyi Hai, Ivanivka, Torske, Hryhorivka and Serebryanske forestry.  

Yesterday, in the Kramatorsk direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces fought off six Russian troops' attempts to advance in the area of Chasiv Yar.  

The Russian forces tried to break into Ukrainian defenses in the Toretsk direction 11 times in the vicinity of Toretsk and Leonidivka.  

Ukrainian troops countered 46 attacks in the Pokrovsk direction over the last day. The Russian troops attempted to advance near the towns of Myroliubivka, Promin, Lysivka, Zelene, Novyi Trud, Dachanske, Vovkove, Pishchane, Novovasylivka, Novoielyzavetivka, Novooleksiivka and Ukrainka. In addition, the invaders actively used attack and bombing aircraft.  

The Ukrainian defense forces are holding back the Russians in the Kurakhove direction. Sontsivka, Stari Terny, Andriivka, Kurakhove, Dachne, Dalne, Kostiantynopolske and Kostiantynopil - here the occupants tried to break through Ukrainian defenses 24 times.  

The Russians attacked 36 times in the areas of Uspenivka, Dalne, Yantarne, Rozlyv, Bohatyr, Velyka Novosilka, Makarivka, Novosilka, Novopol and Novodarivka in the Vremivka direction.  

In the Orikhiv direction, Ukrainian defenders successfully rebuffed one Russian troops' attempt to advance in the area of Mala Tokmachka. 

The invading Russian forces carried out air strikes in the Prydniprovskyi direction yesterday, and Ukrainian troops beat back four Russian attacks.  

Fifty combat engagements, nine Russian air strikes by eleven combat aircraft, and more than four hundred artillery attacks on the Ukrainian positions in the Kursk direction were registered. 

In the Siversk and Huliaipole directions, the occupying Russian army did not conduct any active operations since the beginning of the day.  

On the border with Belarus, no signs of Russian offensive groups were detected.

On the border with Chernihiv and Sumy regions, the Russian army maintains a military presence and conducts reconnaissance activities.

• Over the past day, the Ukrainian army eliminated 1,860 Russian troops and a number of their vehicles and weapons at the front.