Speaking at this Friday's weekly Ministry of Defense press conference, to Col. Kiviselg said, the Russian Federation forces are still holding the initiative on the battlefield and the number of daily attacks has remained at a similar level to the previous week, at around 109 per day.

"As a result, the Russian Federation has not been able to occupy as much Ukrainian territory as it did in December and January. The pace of progress has been slower. However, tactical advances are unfortunately still taking place," the EDF colonel said.

Col. Kiviselg said that North Korean troops are, once again, more actively involved in the fighting in Kursk Oblast.

"Despite the fact that Ukraine has been actively conducting defensive and offensive activities in Kursk and still holds about 350 to 380 square kilometers of territory, the Russian Federation has managed to retake some territory there over the last week, amounting to approximately 20 to 40 square kilometers," Col. Kiviselg said.

The EDF colonel also said that the Russian Federation has been more active in its attacks in Ukraine's Sumy Oblast. "The probable aim is to force Ukrainian units to fragment and have to send additional units there, or in other words to weaken their forces in Kursk Oblast," Col. Kiviselg said.

Col. Kiviselg said that in Donetsk Oblast, Russia has increased its pressure towards the settlement of Chasiv Yar, in an attempt to break through Ukrainian defensive lines. "There has been some tactical success, but the Ukrainian defensive lines as a whole are holding there," Col. Kiviselg said.

"The Ukrainian forces have additionally carried out successful counter-attacks in the Pokrovsk region and managed to stabilize the front there as well as liberate some villages in that area," the colonel explained.

Col. Kiviselg said that despite international condemnation, the Russian Federation has continued to attack civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, including hospitals, schools and residential areas.

"One such attack took place early this morning, whereby Tu-95 bombers were sent out, Kalibr and Iskander missiles were fired, and 100 drones launched. In some cases, the targets were not in the area of the active front at all, but in Odesa Oblast, which again illustrates the Russian Federation's desire to continue putting pressure on Ukrainian society, and not to shy away from its ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure and the population," Col. Kiviselg said.

---

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!