Short-range fighting continues in Marinka, Bakhmut - National Guard spox

Russia is concentrating its main offensive efforts in the Marinka and Bakhmut sectors, with Ukrainian and Russian forces fighting in the streets of the cities, often at short range.

Ruslan Muzychuk, spokesman for Ukraine's National Guard, said this on national television, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

According to him, the front line remained almost unchanged this week, with the enemy concentrating its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka areas.

"But the Marinka and Bakhmut areas are the epicenter [of hostilities]. It is there that the largest number of assault operations is carried out, and there, in these areas, street-to-street fighting continues, sometimes at fairly close range," Muzychuk said.

He noted that combat engagements take place at distances of less than 100 meters and in some places at distances of even less than 50 meters.

He also added that the Russians continue to build multi-layered defense lines in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson areas.

"The enemy continues to build layered self-defense and fortify its positions. And it's not that there are almost no attempted assaults here - there is also artillery shelling here. In the past day, the positions of the National Guard came under fire more than 30 times. And in this area [the Russians] actively use UAV reconnaissance," the spokesman said.

He added that this week in the Kherson sector alone, Ukraine's National Guard shot down four drones, including Orlan-10s and Zala 421s.

Photo: Ukraine's State Border Guard Service