Our strategy is to maximally exhaust Russian army - Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief

"Our strategy is to exhaust the Russian army as much as possible, prevent its advance, hold our territory," the general said.

He added that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are simultaneously striking the enemy in the rear, in operational depth, and inside Russia itself, aiming to undermine its defensive capabilities and industrial potential.

The general said that the fiercest battles are currently taking place around Pokrovsk, as well as the city of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. Clashes are also occurring near Lyman and close to the city of Huliaipole in the Zaporizhzhia region.

"The Ukrainian army is conducting a strategic defensive operation, aiming to contain the enemy's advance, prevent them from breaking deeper, inflict maximum losses, and carry out counter-offensive actions in those sectors where we see the enemy is vulnerable," Syrskyi noted.

He reminded that the current main objective is "to protect Ukrainian land, the country, and its population." The general added that he does not even allow himself to consider a scenario in which Ukraine would be forced to give Russia the entirety of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The epicenter of fighting in the Donetsk region has long remained the Pokrovsk direction. The Russian forces are trying to encircle Pokrovsk from multiple directions and are sending additional forces there.

According to the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, Russian troops are mostly concentrated in the southern part of Pokrovsk, with small groups spread throughout the agglomeration. The enemy continuously assaults the Defense Forces’ positions and suffers heavy losses.

According to Ukrainian Armed Forces Colonel Vladyslav Seleznov, Russia has concentrated over 140,000 troops in the Pokrovsk direction.