UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Dec 26 — There were nine attacks in the Kupiansk direction. The Ukrainian army repelled Russian assaults in the areas of Zakhidne, Lozova and Kruhlyakivka, Bohuslavka, and Nova Kruhlyakivka, reported the General Staff.

One of the main goals of the Russian full-scale war is to capture the remainder of occupied Luhansk and Donetsk Oblast; their operations on the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line are dedicated to that. From this section of the frontline, they also aim to push into Kharkiv Oblast and re-occupy Kupiansk and Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, important logistics hubs for the region.

In the Kharkiv direction, there were two combat clashes in the area of Vovchansk and Starytsia yesterday.

Russia launched two missile attacks, 42 airstrikes, dropping 55 glide bombs (KABs) on positions of Ukrainian troops and on cities and villages in the Kharkiv region over the past day. Russians fired about 5,700 times at Ukrainian forces, including 289 times with multiple launch rocket systems.

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  • In the Kharkiv direction, the Russians have built up enough manpower and equipment to launch a second offensive from the north, said Oleksandr Danylenko, head of the communication for the “Gart” border guard brigade, to Ukrainian outlet Suspilne.