According to an Estonian Defense Ministry spokesman, Ukraine's armed forces have recently made progress on the southern front, while Russia has failed to make a major breakthrough in the conflict in recent days.
Colonel Tarmo Kundla, head of the operations department of the General Staff of the Estonian Armed Forces, said during a press conference on Friday that Kiev had managed to seize areas near Velyka Novosilka, a frontline settlement in the southwestern part of the region, according to a report Donetsk, to be released from the English-language Estonian channel ERR.
Kundla also reported that Russian forces had made gradual progress on the Eastern Front, noting that Moscow troops had advanced along the Kupiansk-Kreminna line and captured some small villages near Bakhmut. While Kundla told reporters that Moscow continued to retain the initiative in these small attacks, he claimed that Russia had not made any decisive breakthroughs, adding: “Ukraine's defenses are holding.”
A recently bombed residential area is seen under artillery fire in Avdiivka, Ukraine, on December 31, 2023. Ukrainian troops have reportedly made progress along the southern front in Ukraine, while Russia has failed to make any major breakthroughs, according to an Estonian Defense Ministry spokesman. Pierre Crom/Getty Images
The Estonian official said that Russia's recent airstrikes in Ukraine in recent days had not been proven to weaken Kiev's defense capabilities. Newsweek has emailed the defense ministries of Russia and Ukraine for comment.
Kundla's report follows an assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on Thursday that confirmed Russia had achieved success near the eastern city of Kreminna. The ISW also reported on Russian advances near the village of Avdiivka, which has been the center of heavy fighting for months.
Kundla said on Friday that Russia's “main attack will likely be on the encirclement of Avdiivka and therefore additional resources can be expected to be deployed there in the near future.”
Avdiivka serves as a major railway junction in eastern Ukraine, but despite investing significant resources in capturing the village, Russia has failed to make major progress along the front line.
Kundla also reported that fighting on the front lines had slowed down in the past week, and the spokesman for the command of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Volodymyr Fitjo, said on Thursday that Russia's offensive operations in the Kupiansk sector in recent days may be due to ” “deteriorating weather conditions” had subsided. “
Meanwhile, Ukraine launched a major attack on Crimea on Thursday, reportedly hitting Russian air defenses and a command center on the annexed peninsula, according to Kiev military officials.
Unconfirmed reports circulating on Russian Telegram channels on Friday also said that nearly two dozen Russian military personnel, including five senior officers, were killed in the attack on Crimea. Newsweek could not independently verify these reports.
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Newsweek strives to challenge conventional wisdom and find connections in the search for common ground.