December “most difficult month” for Ukraine’s defense forces in Tavria operational zone - spox

That’s according to Oleksandr Shtupun, the spokesman for the Tavria Grouping of Troops, who spoke on the air of the national telethon an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"In my personal opinion, the most difficult month is this one. The enemy has been storming Marinka and Avdiivka nonstop, suffering significant losses, but still advancing. They are trying to achieve gains before year-end or perhaps they have some other deadlines. If you count by the number of assaults and the existing pressure on our units, the last month of this year is the most difficult one," the spokesman said.

According to Shtupun, some Ukrainian units remain in Marinka’s northern part as the Russians keep shelling their positions. However, the invaders are also now trying to exert more pressure on Novomykhailivka, he added.

In the Avdiivka area, the Russians are already using their most modern hardware, including the T-90 main battle tanks. "But they also burn well, no worse than the older tanks. Even better," said the spokesman.

As reported, earlier, 920 Russian soldiers and officers were killed in action in the past day alone.