Battles most intense in Pokrovsk, Toretsk axes - National Guard spokesman

The Russian invasion forces pursue intensive assault operations in Kharkiv and Donetsk regions while the fiercest battles are ongoing in the Pokrovsk and Toretsk directions.

That’s according to the press secretary for the National Guard, Ruslan Muzychuk, who spoke on national television, Ukrinform reports.

“We see that the enemy currently continues conducting quite intensive assault operations, especially in Donetsk region, where our brigades are performing their tasks. These are, in particular, the Pokrovsk and Toretsk directions, where the intensity is perhaps the greatest, and of course we see what the situation is in Kharkiv region as a whole. I can also single out the Lyman and Kupiansk directions, where the enemy has become very active in recent months. If we recall October and November, the enemy used to run quite massive assaults in the Lyman and Kupiansk directions, including with major armored support,” the spokesman said.

He added that the enemy pulled large mechanized units and armored support in order to advance towards the Oskil River. Over the summer and early autumn, the situation was stabilized in the north of the Kharkiv region. On certain days and in certain battles, Ukraine’s Defense Forces would destroy 40 to 50 armored fighting vehicles, he noted.

Answering the question of how acute the issue is with the National Guard training centers for recruits, the spokesman said the level of training is currently being significantly improved. Currently, 60% of recruits get into the army ranks through mobilization, and 40% through the recruiting system.

“In general, our training system has changed a lot this year, having become more sophisticated. I can say that our training capabilities have increased nearly fivefold. And this is thanks to developing our infrastructure, our training centers, and also due to the assistance that partner countries provide us abroad,” the spokesman noted.

According to Muzychuk, more than 10 countries help the National Guard train units in the company-battalion composition, train snipers, sappers, and even staff officers, who then return to Ukraine and either undergo additional training or deal with recruits who have undergone basic training in their military units. He recalled that since October 2024, the number of training hours has also increased.

“Currently, our basic training is 54 days, and after that, our soldiers, depending on their specialty, undergo additional training within brigades,” the spokesman noted.

As Ukrinform reported earlier on December 27, 2024, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, held a final annual meeting on military training, where he noted the need to extend to two months the period of training before soldiers are deployed to take part in combat missions.

Photo: 109th Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces