Russian troops achieve tactical gains in Donetsk region - ISW

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported the information.

As a result of the advance, Russian forces are now approximately 6 km south of Pokrovsk. Analysts suggest that Russians will likely continue their offensive attempts in the coming days, as this would secure a stronger position from which Russian troops could assault Shevchenko, southwest of Pokrovsk.

The spokesperson for the Khortytsia operational-strategic group of forces, Lieutenant Colonel Nazar Voloshyn, reported that Ukrainian forces lost two positions during Russian attacks and are working to restore them.

Voloshyn described the situation in the Pokrovsk sector as 'critical,' noting that each Russian battalion-sized unit receives about 200 new personnel every month.

“ISW recently assessed that the Russian command has resumed offensive operations to seize Pokrovsk via a turning maneuver from the south, but that this maneuver is coming at a massive cost to Russian manpower and equipment,” the report says.

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that in both November and December, the Russian army suffered record-high troop losses in the war against Ukraine.