Intense Fighting Continues in Eastern Ukraine: No Sign of Russian Military Pressure Easing

Ukraine reports continued intense fighting along its eastern front with no signs of reduced Russian military pressure. Recent efforts by Ukraine to divert Russian forces have not resulted in major changes. Heavy clashes have been noted, particularly around Pokrovsk, prompting local evacuation appeals.

Ukraine said there was no sign Russian military pressure was receding along the eastern front within its borders on Thursday, more than a week after Ukraine's incursion into Russia, and reported the heaviest fighting in weeks near Pokrovsk.

Ukraine launched a major assault into Russia's Kursk region on Aug. 6, carving out a strip of land which military analysts believe is partly an attempt to divert Russian reserve forces to act as reinforcements. Military spokesman Dmytro Lykhoviy said Russia had moved some troops from Ukraine's occupied south to other areas, but it had not constituted a significant redeployment for now.

'No significant changes in the size of the group were detected, and the number of the personnel is not changing enough to indicate any differences or weakening in hostilities,' Lykhoviy said on national television. Serhiy Tsehotskiy, an officer with the 59th Motorized Brigade, confirmed ongoing Russian pressure in the partially-occupied Donetsk region, where Russia has concentrated its attacks for months.

'The enemy, despite what is happening on the territory of Russia, is still keeping the bulk of its troops in this direction and trying to achieve success,' Tsehotskiy said on national television. Russian forces had used all available reserves in the eastern Donetsk region and genuinely pressured Ukraine there, he noted.

The Ukrainian military's General Staff reported 58 battles between Kyiv and Moscow's forces on the front near the Kyiv-controlled logistics city of Pokrovsk, the most on any single day this month. The head of the Pokrovsk military administration, Serhiy Dobriak, appealed to locals to evacuate.

'The enemy has come almost right up to the city of Pokrovsk. Just over 10 kilometers from the outskirts of the city,' he said on Telegram. DeepState, a prominent Ukrainian military blog, noted Russian advances in the villages of Zhelanne and Orlivka on Ukraine's eastern front late on Wednesday.