The President noted that the occupiers have been postponing the expected capture of the entire Donbas for six months.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the successes of our military in the east. He emphasized that the daily failure of the enemy in the Bakhmut direction and in general in Donbas is a significant weakening of Russia.

In his evening video address on Wednesday, January 4, 2023, the president praised the soldiers who are heroically defending and resisting enemy attacks in the Bakhmut direction.

“In particular, the Shaman special unit of the GUR, as well as the border guards of the Luhansk detachment, who, together with the fighters of the International Defense Legion of Ukraine, inflict numerous losses on the enemy and knock out the occupiers from their positions on the outskirts of Bakhmut,” the head of state said.

According to him, this is a good result. He reminded that the occupiers are once again moving the date of the expected capture of the entire Donbas.

“Every such result and every day the enemy’s failure in the Bakhmut direction and in Donbas as a whole is a significant weakening of the aggressor state. The occupiers have been postponing the date when they are waiting for the capture of all of Donbas for six months. We waited until the New Year, and our defenders are showing success again Zelenskyi said.

The President noted that the occupiers are constantly increasing their forces in Donbas. They still do it.

“And every such day with our successes is a new proof of the insanity of the very idea of ​​an attack on Ukraine. If only such news from the front can restore a sense of reality to everyone in Russia, we will have to ensure this as much as possible,” the head of state emphasized.

Zelensky also thanked the defenders of the Bakhmut fortress.

“I thank all our soldiers who withstand the pressure in the Soledar direction and defend their positions. I thank, of course, all our soldiers who give very encouraging news from Luhansk region and some southern regions of our country,” added the president of Ukraine.

The situation in Donbas: what is known

Volodymyr Nazarenko, deputy commander of the 3rd Battalion “Freedom” as part of the 4th brigade of the NGU, reported that the losses of the assault groups of the occupiers in Bakhmut in Donetsk region are 80%, and the wounded occupiers are left to die in the cold. He added that Ukrainian troops are holding the line of defense and preventing the enemy from advancing.

Serhii Gaidai, the head of the Luhansk OVG, noted that the Russian occupiers, after the death of hundreds of mobilized people, intensified repression against the civilian population in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. There is information that the Russian military is shooting the civilian population, as well as imprisoning those who refuse to participate in hostilities.

At the same time, the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov said that in the spring Ukraine plans to launch a serious offensive at the front. According to him, we will see more liberation of territories and the final defeat of the Russian Federation. This will take place throughout Ukraine, from Crimea to Donbas.