Russia deploys 150,000 troops on three eastern directions - Khortytsia troops grouping

Nazar Voloshyn, a spokesman for the Khortytsia troops grouping, said this during the telethon.

According to him, over 70,000 soldiers are concentrated in the Pokrovsk direction, while up to 36,000 in the Kurakhove direction and over 40,000 in the Vremivka direction.

"In the Kurakhove sector, Ukraine's Defense Forces continue to hold back the enemy. Over the last day, 40 attacks took place there and the Russian army tried to break through Ukrainian defense lines. It is important for the enemy to level the defense line in this area, as this will primarily allow them to regroup and withdraw some units for recuperation. And then to concentrate them for further offensive in this area of the front," Voloshyn added.

He noted that the Russian Federation is trying to break through to the outskirts of Kurakhove to take control of it: the invading army is shelling the town with guided bombs and artillery.

The spokesman also talked about the Russians' activation near Velyka Novosilka and Vuhledar over the past 2 days.

"Russia has recently become more active there, both yesterday and the day before. In particular, there were 27 combat engagements yesterday, the Russian army is trying to break through our defense there, but the situation has been relatively stabilized, our defenders are bringing down the enemy's offensive potential. For Russia, this area in the northwest of the region is one of the priority elements of the Kurakhove and Pokrovsk offensives. Recapturing Novyi Komar village by the Defense Forces has improved our tactical position, so the enemy wants to disrupt our logistics in the Kurakhove and Vremivka directions," he explained.

At the same time, in the Kupyansk area, Russians are using the same tactics of dispersing manpower without involving a large number of armored vehicles.

• On December 10, military expert Dmytro Sniehyriov said that the Russian army has advanced within Kurakhove's urban area, particularly in the vicinity of high-rise buildings.