Over the past day, 268 combat engagements were recorded along the line of contact, as reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in their evening report. The situation remains most tense in the eastern and southern directions of the front, where the Russian army continues its active offensive operations.
This is reported by Finway
Main Directions of Combat Operations
In the Northern Slobozhansky and Kursk directions, three combat engagements occurred over the day. In the Southern Slobozhansky direction, Russian forces launched 12 attacks on the positions of Ukrainian defense forces, with six engagements still ongoing. Active combat actions also continued in the Kupiansk, Lyman, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk directions.
The situation remains particularly challenging in the Kostiantynivka direction, where Russian forces conducted 44 assaults on the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Escalation in the Pokrovsk Direction
The highest number of attacks by the enemy occurred in the Pokrovsk direction, where 70 breakthrough attempts were recorded. The occupiers attempted to advance in the areas of the settlements of Bilytske, Dorožne, Nova Shakhova, Rodynske, Novooleksandrivka, Myrnohrad, Shevchenko, Pokrovsk, Kotlyne, Udachne, Muravka, Novopidhorodne, Molodetske, Novopavlivka, Filia, and Dachne. According to the General Staff, two combat engagements are currently ongoing.
“In the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy launched seventy attacks. The occupiers attempted to advance in the areas of the settlements of Bilytske, Dorožne, Nova Shakhova, Rodynske, Novooleksandrivka, Myrnohrad, Shevchenko, Pokrovsk, Kotlyne, Udachne, Muravka, Novopidhorodne, Molodetske, Novopavlivka, Filia, Dachne. Two combat engagements are currently ongoing,” the report states.
Additionally, Russian forces attempted to advance three times in the Oleksandrivka direction. In the Huliaipole direction, 31 attacks were recorded, with six battles remaining active. The defense forces repelled two Russian attacks in the Orikhiv direction and one in the Dnipro direction.
It should be noted that the number of combat engagements has increased — there were 171 in the previous day, indicating an escalation of the situation on the front.
Zaporizhzhia Direction and Intensity of Combat Operations
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, noted on March 15 that the Russian Federation is concentrating significant forces in the Zaporizhzhia direction, viewing it as the main area for further offensive actions. According to him, the intensity of enemy attacks in the vicinity of Huliaipole exceeds that of other sections of the front.
The latest report from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) indicates that Ukrainian counterattacks in Zaporizhzhia could seriously disrupt Russia’s plans for an offensive in the spring and summer.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in an interview with the Italian publication Corriere Della Sera that since the beginning of the year, Ukrainian forces have already liberated 460 square kilometers of territory.