According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, there was one combat encounter in the Vovchansk area on December 18th, in the Kharkiv direction over the past day.
All enemy actions in the Kharkiv region aim to create a so-called "buffer zone" while also establishing a foothold for an offensive towards Kupiansk.
This was reported by Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Kovalov, head of the border service department of the "Hart" brigade, during a broadcast on the national telethon "Unified News."
"The situation in the Vovchansk direction remains difficult. Enemy forces continuously exert fire influence on our positions, attempting to operate actively in small infantry groups…
All enemy actions in this direction are intended to still create a so-called buffer zone and to build the conditions for advancing towards Kupiansk. This, in turn, puts our units at risk of encirclement in both the Vovchansk and Kupiansk directions…
In our sector, enemy forces remain quite active, constantly searching for sections to establish a frontline. Meanwhile, the enemy's tactics have not changed — they consist of small infantry groups supported by artillery, mortars, and drones. More mortars and unmanned aerial vehicles are being used. They mainly attack during the day, while drones are particularly active at night. They are often equipped with night vision devices, which adds to our difficulties," Ivan Kovalov explained.