During the day, 133 combat encounters were recorded on the front between Ukrainian defenders and Russian troops. The fiercest battles took place in the Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka directions, as reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the evening report on March 26.
This is reported by Finway
Intense Fighting in Eastern Ukraine
In the South Slobozhanske and Kupiansk directions, Russian troops launched one assault on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine each. Meanwhile, in the Lyman direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled eight enemy attacks. Three combat encounters occurred in the Sloviansk direction.
According to the report, the Russian army did not conduct offensive operations in the Kramatorsk and Dnipro directions. However, the situation in the Kostiantynivka direction remained tense: Ukrainian forces repelled 21 assaults by Russian troops near Kostiantynivka, Pleshchiivka, Illinivka, Berestk, Stepanivka, Novopavlivka, and Sofiivka, with one battle still ongoing.
Fighting in the Pokrovsk Direction and Control Over Berezove
“In the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy launched 36 attacks. The occupiers attempted to advance in the areas of the settlements of Bilytske, Rodynske, Myrnohrad, Hryshyne, Kotlyne, Udachne, Pokrovsk, and Molodetske towards the settlements of Kucheryv Yar and Svitle. Six combat encounters are still ongoing,” the report states.
Additionally, Russian forces attacked Ukrainian positions ten times in the Oleksandrivka direction, with 18 assaults recorded in the Huliaipole direction, and three more attacks occurred in the Orikhiv direction.
The command of the 95th Separate Air Assault Polissia Brigade reported the capture of the village of Berezove in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which is a significant achievement for the Ukrainian military.
In an interview, the commander of the 5th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade, Ruslan Habinet, emphasized that the Defense Forces continue to control certain areas of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad in Donetsk region. At the same time, statements by the head of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, about alleged successes of Russian troops in the Kostiantynivka and Lyman directions are being refuted by Ukrainian military officials, who assert that there are no Russian troops in the city of Lyman in Donetsk region.
Experts from the American Institute for the Study of War noted that Russian command often exaggerates its own achievements to create the illusion of a critical situation on the front across Ukraine.