Russia on Wednesday said its forces were making rapid progress on the battlefield, while on the same day Ukraine said its troops were facing the most difficult challenges since the conflict between the two countries began.
In a combat report released on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that over the past 24 hours, its forces had struck 146 areas, targeting Ukrainian energy and transportation infrastructure, long-range drone launch sites, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries.
The ministry also reported the destruction of 12 Ukrainian armored vehicles, 15 artillery pieces, and 69 military vehicles. Russian air defense units claimed to have shot down 102 Ukrainian drones.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a meeting with visiting Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto on Tuesday, said that Russian troops are making rapid progress on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Wednesday that 177 clashes occurred along the front lines in the past day.
Ukrainian air force, missile troops and artillery targeted Russian positions, striking one artillery system, two drone control points, and one personnel concentration area.
Ukrainian forces claimed to have destroyed one Russian tank, one armored vehicle, 25 artillery systems, and 177 tactical-level drones.
In the directions of Pokrovsk and Oleksandrivsk, Ukrainian troops repelled multiple Russian assaults.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces are facing the most difficult challenges since the conflict began, as Russian troops continue to intensify offensive operations.
He revealed that drone attacks now account for approximately 60 percent of Ukraine's strikes against Russian targets.
According to November statistics from the Ukrainian General Staff's drone command center, Ukrainian drone aviation systems have carried out over 304,000 combat missions to date.
Russia claims gains as Ukraine calls situation most difficult since start of conflict
