EDF colonel: Russia has increased intensity of attacks in Ukraine

The fighting in Ukraine continues across the entire front line, with the intensity of attacks from Russian forces having increased to as many as 190 on some days, said Col. Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) Intelligence Center.
The fighting in Ukraine continues across the entire front line, with the intensity of attacks from Russian forces having increased to as many as 190 on some days, said Col. Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) Intelligence Center.
Speaking at the Estonian Ministry of Defense's weekly Friday press conference, Col. Kiviselg said that the intensity of attacks by the Russian Federation armed forces has risen in recent weeks to as many as 190 on some days, at an average of 150 daily attacks.
Col. Kiviselg noted that although Russia has increased offensive pressure in Ukraine in recent days, it has not managed to achieve a breakthrough on the front.
"Russia has again increased its offensive pressure in recent days in order to maintain the operational initiative and to achieve its objectives for the near future, while suffering significant losses in terms of manpower. The balance of forces, however, has not enabled the Russian armed forces to make a decisive breakthrough on any front and an arduous war of attrition continues," Col. Kiviselg said.
The center of the fighting continues to be Donetsk Oblast, where the Russian offensive continues at a high level of intensity. The heaviest fighting is still concentrated on the Pokrovsk offensive, in the Ocheretyne and Toretsk regions and around Chasiv Yar. Col. Kiviselg said that Russia's longer-term objective is to occupy the whole of Donetsk Oblast.
"The armed forces of the Russian Federation have succeeded in expanding the territory under their control with small tactical advances in the Ocheretyne region, as well as, in what is a negative development, the adversary has opened the Toretsk offensive zone, where a tactical breakthrough from the south has started approaching the New York direction," Kiviselg said.
There has also been offensive activity east of Donetsk in Sumy, with the aim of capturing the outskirts of Toretsk and isolating the town itself, Col. Kiviselg said.
Col. Kiviselg added that the armed forces of the Russian Federation have additionally managed to expand their presence in the eastern part of Chassiv Yar.
Russian reserves are running out in the Donetsk direction, creating opportunities for Ukrainian counter-attacks. "Russia continues to reinforce its Donetsk direction grouping and is trying to extend the success it has achieved in that region. However, the Russian troops are running out of usable reserves, and troops need to be redeployed from one direction to the other in order to create strongholds. This, in turn, creates opportunities for Ukraine to launch counter-attacks," Col. Kiviselg said.
The EDF colonel added that despite high levels of offensive pressure from Russia, Ukraine's defenses have remained effective and Ukrainian forces have managed to regain the initiative with counter-attacks in some areas.
Ukraine continues to launch counter-attacks in the Kharkiv direction in Vovchansk, and in the Lyman direction in Terny, where the enemy has been forced back.
There were no major changes on other parts of the front line in the last week.
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Editor: Valner Väino, Michael Cole