Intense fighting is continuing between the military forces of Russia and Ukraine as Russian troops appear to be forging ahead with operations to take control of a stronghold in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s military announced on Tuesday that there were 149 combat engagements over the past 24 hours between Ukrainian and Russian forces. They added that Ukrainian forces had stopped 52 attacks from Russia in Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.
The New York Times reported on Sunday that the Russian military had made rapid gains in Donetsk over the past week or so, “capturing a few villages and closing in on the city of Pokrovsk, one of the main Ukrainian defensive strongholds in the area.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also stated on the same day that Pokrovsk had experienced the fiercest offensive from Russia during the past several weeks.
The governor of the western Russian region of Kursk, which shares a border with Ukraine, said on social media on Monday that one of its districts suffered a drone strike from Ukraine, which he said damaged power lines.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s military announced on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces had carried out a special operation, resulting in explosions in the vicinity of at least four substations in Kursk. They also said they confirmed power outages in three districts in the region.
The General Staff called the facilities a legitimate target, saying they ensure the functioning of the Russian railway system, which transports weapons and military equipment to support its occupation army.
They stressed their intention to continue attacks on infrastructure in Russia.