Ukraine's forces stop Russian advance in Dobropillia and Pokrovsk directions — General Staff

"Our units are engaged in heavy defensive battles against enemy forces that outnumber them. For example, in the Pokrovsk direction alone, the occupiers have concentrated a group numbering over 110,000 personnel," the report states.

As noted by the General Staff, in order to penetrate deep into the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ defense, the Russian invaders are acting boldly. Despite their losses, they attempt to infiltrate through our defensive lines with sabotage and small infantry groups.

In particular, several small enemy groups, bypassing the positions of Ukrainian defenders, tried to advance toward the settlement of Zolotyi Kolodiaz.

Additionally, taking advantage of the local terrain features, saboteurs secretly penetrated the settlements of Vesele, Vilne, Rubizhne, and Kucheriv Yar. Some of these groups have already been destroyed, and the rest are in the process of being eliminated.

"The situation is difficult and dynamic, but the Defense Forces are taking all necessary measures to detect and destroy enemy groups. In particular, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, additional forces and means have been allocated to strengthen the resilience of the defense. Measures have been planned to block enemy groups in the designated area," the General Staff said.

They added that reserve units have already located the enemy and have achieved initial successes: Russian soldiers are being destroyed and taken prisoner.

"The defenders of Ukraine remain focused on accomplishing their assigned tasks, holding the lines, and need the support of the entire society to repel new enemy offensive attempts," the General Staff emphasized.

Rumors about a Russian breakthrough near Pokrovsk and Dobropillia

Today, the Armed Forces of Ukraine denied reports about a breakthrough by Russian troops in the Pokrovsk and Dobropillia areas of the Donetsk region. The reports concern infiltration by small groups, which are being destroyed by the Defense Forces.

According to Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for the Dnipro operational-strategic grouping of troops, the Russian troops are using a tactic of infiltrating small groups past the first line of defense, losing many personnel in the process, which happened near Dobropillia.

"A small enemy group bypassed Ukrainian positions and tried to hide in our rear. A similar situation occurred a week ago with the passage of a small sabotage and reconnaissance group in Pokrovsk, which did not end successfully for the enemy," he said.

As Trehubov explained, reports on maps from open sources about the alleged advance of Russian forces 12 km deep into Ukrainian territory do not mean that these areas are under their control.

In reality, it concerns infiltration by small enemy groups — approximately 5 to 10 people — who try to hide in buildings.