Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Russian forces have advanced on all fronts in Ukraine. He made this statement in an interview broadcast on a television channel in the country yesterday. Putin stated, “Our forces have advanced further from their positions in all areas. This includes Kupyansk, Izium, and Avdiivka (known as a commercial center).” Prior to this, it was reported on Saturday that a widespread battle between Ukrainian forces and Russian troops was taking place around Avdiivka. Russia is attempting to encircle the city and has launched a sustained assault. The regional administration of Donetsk has confirmed that two non-combatant civilians were killed in the Russian military’s attack on Avdiivka on Saturday. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that 27 drones were used in the airstrikes. They stated that these drones were deployed from Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that out of these, 18 drones conducted airstrikes in the Kursk region near the Ukrainian border. Additionally, two drones were used for strikes in the Belgorod region. The governor of the region, Roman Starovoyt, mentioned that there were no casualties in the drone attack incident.
