The operational report of the General Staff of Ukraine revealed that Russian forces are attacking and advancing in places on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Antiviika and Novapavlika axes.
According to the operational update of the General Staff of Ukraine, the Ukrainian troops repelled the attacks of the Russian forces, while the Russians report partial successes and advances of their forces.
Fierce battles near Gorlovka between Russians and Ukrainians
The 132nd Russian-speaking brigade attacked Ukrainian forces near Gorlovka. The artillery of the 132nd Russian-speaking brigade of the 1st army corps of Doniletsk relentlessly pounded the Ukrainian positions.
"Fierce battles are taking place, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are in a difficult situation, while the Russian army is conducting a strong attack with superior forces," says a source from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Ukrainian Defense Minister over 300,000 Russian troops preparing to attack in two directions
"Russian invasion forces are preparing a new major offensive in two directions," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleskyi Raznikov said.
"We cannot lose the initiative. We believe that, since the Russians live by symbols, they might try something around February 24... We do not underestimate our enemy," he stressed.
Reznikov noted that according to Ukrainian intelligence, the Kremlin was able to mobilize about half a million Russians.
"Officially they said 300,000, but when we see the troops at the border, according to our estimates, they are much more," the Ukrainian minister said.
"They can launch an attack in two directions, either the Donbass or the south," the Ukrainian minister said, calling on Ukraine's partners to speed up the supply of weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
They were reportedly killed along with Ukrainian and British trainers at the Ochakov naval base by an artillery strike. The Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported that British mercenaries who trained the forces of Kiev in sea sabotage were killed in Ochakov.
"British mercenaries who provided Ukrainian forces with special training in sabotage in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov were killed by a Russian strike on the Ukrainian naval base in Ochakov," a Russian security service representative told reporters.
"An artillery strike was carried out at the base of the Ukrainian Navy in the settlement of Osakov (Nikolayev region), where a unit of the 73rd Naval Special Operations Center of Ukraine is located.
The impact resulted in the destruction of life support systems and dock infrastructure, the Ukrainians lost 3 vehicles, 14 military personnel while 7 were injured.
The dead include British mercenaries, who provided special training to the Ukrainian military in sabotage operations in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov," the Russian spokesman said.
Russia's attack and the number of weapon systems that will be involved in it will be huge, reminiscent of the "Bagration" operation in 1943. What remains is for it to manifest itself and what results it will have.
