Russia tries to seize initiative at front before second anniversary of full-scale invasion

Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi told Reuters.

"Our goals remain unchanged: holding our positions ... exhausting the enemy by inflicting maximum losses," Syrskyi said.

The Ground Forces commander said that the Russian troops pressed in several directions along the eastern front to gain full control of the industrial Donbas, despite significant losses in men and supplies.

Russian forces also hope to regain the lost territories in the south of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Syrskyi added that while the Russians are trying to regain the initiative, the Ukrainian military is looking for opportunities to strike and is on the defensive.

“Engagements on both sides are on a smaller scale to conserve ammunition and men, he added, suggesting Russia has also learned to react and stem losses,” the publication notes.

According to Oleksandr Syrskyi, the wider use of drones has forced a change in tactics, and battalion-level offensives are very rare.

• On January 15, Ukrainian Armed Forces spokesman Shtupun said that the Russian troops are trying to enter Novomykhailivka in the Donetsk region.
• On January 15, Freedom Legion officer Maksym Morozov said that the Russian army was amassing forces and equipment in the temporarily occupied Donetsk and Makiivka to resume offensive operations near Avdiivka.
• On January 15, it became known that in the first 2 weeks of 2024, Russians dropped about 250 guided aerial bombs on Avdiivka, Donetsk region. At the same time, the city suffered 146 airstrikes in 2023.