Ukrainian commander says situation on the eastern front ‘difficult’

Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, says that Russian troops are continuing to make offensive attempts in the Kupyansk, Lyman, and Bakhmut directions.

Syrskyi wrote that the situation in these areas is “difficult.” “We have to fight under conditions where the enemy has superiority in terms of both weapons and personnel,” he stated. However, Syrskyi emphasized that “on all three fronts, our troops are holding the defense and destroying the enemy.”

According to Syrskyi, Russian forces are suffering significant losses, which they are replenishing with reserves from assault battalions formed from former prisoners.

Syrskyi said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) are trying to achieve their goals through “thoughtful planning of combat operations.” He added that minimizing losses is a priority for the AFU in operational planning.

On December 10, Syrskyi reported that Russian troops were advancing along the entire eastern front, despite what he called significant losses in personnel and equipment.