Photo: positional battles continued in the Kupyansky direction near Sinkovka (GettyImages) Author: Vladislav Priymenko
Positional battles continue in three sectors of the front: northwest of Bakhmut, southwest of Bakhmut and northwest of Gorlovka, Donetsk region. Troops are fighting in the direction of Avdeevka and Donetsk, as well as in the area of the border of Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Operation No. 1 – Lugansk region
According to the institute's staff, Russian troops recently confirmed an offensive in the Kremennaya area and on December 30 continued positional battles with Ukrainian troops along the Kupyansk-Svatovo-Kremennaya line. Geolocation video published on December 29 shows that Russian troops have made little progress west of Dibrova.
Russian and Ukrainian sources stated that positional battles continued in the Kupyansk direction near Sinkovka (northeast of Kupyansk) and Novoselevsk (northwest of Svatovo) and in the direction of Liman north of Grigorovka (south of Kremennaya), as well as near Makeevka (northwest of Kremennaya), Torskoye (west of Kremennaya) and in the Serebryansky forestry area (southwest of Kremennaya).
Operation No. 2 – Donetsk region
ISW has learned that Russian forces have recently confirmed advances to the northwest and southwest of Bakhmut. Geolocation video released on December 30 shows that Russian troops have advanced to the northern and northeastern outskirts of Bogdanovka and northwest of Khromovye (both northwest of Bakhmut). Additional geolocation footage released on December 30 shows that Russian troops have advanced north of Kleshchievka.
Ukrainian and Russian sources stated that positional fighting continued northwest of Bakhmut in the area of Grigorovka, Khromovoye and Bogdanovka; southwest of Bakhmut in the area of Andreevka and Kleshchievka; and northwest of Gorlovka in the Shumov area.
Russian troops recently confirmed an offensive on the northern flank of Avdievka, as positional battles near Avdiivka continued on December 30. A geolocation video published on December 30 shows that Russian troops have advanced north of Stepovoye (north of Avdeevka).
Ukrainian and Russian sources stated that positional battles continued northwest of Avdeevka in the area of the Avdeevka coke plant and Novobakhmutovka; north of Avdeevka in the Stepovoye area and west of Kamenka; southeast of Avdeevka in the industrial zone; and southwest of Avdeevka in the areas of Opytny, Severny, Pervomaisky and Nevelsky.
ISW found that Russian and Ukrainian troops continued trench warfare to the west and southwest of Donetsk, but there were no confirmed changes to the front line on December 30.
Ukrainian and Russian sources said positional fighting continued near Krasnohorivka (west of Donetsk), Marinka and Novomikhailovka (southwest of Donetsk).
“Southern Axis”
According to ISW, on December 30, positional battles took place in the area of Priyutnoye (southwest of Velikaya Novoselka) and Staromayorske (south of Velikaya Novoselka) near the border of the Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions.
ISW staff also found out that positional battles continued
- west and north of Verbovoy (east of Rabotino);
- near Novofedorovka (northeast of Rabotino) and Novoprokopovka (south of Rabotino);
- west of Rabotino and east of Kopani (northwest of Rabotino).
Ukrainian military observer Konstantin Mashovets reported on December 30 that over the past two to three days, Russian troops have advanced in the area of Verbovoy, Rabotino and Kopani and managed to almost eliminate the Ukrainian penetration into the current main line of Russian defense, which Ukrainian forces carried out in September 2023.
ISW recently observed a likely withdrawal of Ukrainian forces in the area to more defended positions closer to Rabotino, and Mashovets' reports are consistent with this observation.
ISW found that Ukrainian troops maintain positions in the left-bank Kherson region as of December 30, but there have been no changes to the front line in the area.
Russian and Ukrainian sources reported that positional battles continued on the eastern bank, including near Krynki.
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