Defence forces have advanced in the Orekhovo direction

Colonel Mykola Urshalovych, deputy director of the Department of Planning and Application of the NSU Main Directorate, said this during an online briefing, Ukrinform reported.

In the Orekhiv direction, separate units of the National Guard are conducting offensive assault actions as part of the Defence Forces, despite the significant density of mine-bomb barriers and intense shelling, and have partial success - advanced 650 to 1500 metres in the direction of Novopokrovka," Urshalovich said.

He added that last week the enemy opened artillery and rocket fire in the direction of Kupiansk, Liman and Seversk, shelling National Guard positions. However, the NSU continues to hold the front line.

Despite the enemy's air superiority and intensive fire influence, which includes 8 air strikes and 550 shelling from MLRS, artillery and mortars, no losses of positions have been allowed," said the NSU representative.

According to him, the advance of the AFU in the Bakhmut direction was facilitated by reconnaissance and UAV strikes carried out by the National Guard during the week. Thus, several units of enemy equipment were destroyed.

In order to prevent a collapse of the front, the Russian terrorist regime was forced to resort to bringing in machine-gun crews of separate companies of the FSB commandant's office in its weakest areas. The enemy therefore often chose surrender rather than being killed by their own roadblocks. And the Guards continued to inflict losses on the enemy in manpower and equipment," said Urshalovich.

Earlier Sotsportal reported that over three days the Defence Forces liberated about 3 squarekilometres in the Bakhmut and Zaporizhzhya directions. In addition, the Ukrainian armed forces have had success in the Berdyansk direction. Ukraine also regained control of two settlements in Donetsk Region: Blagodatne and Neskuchnoye. The evacuation of civilians from the de-occupied areas began immediately.