Fierce Clashes at Kurakhove: Ukraine Holds the Line

Russian forces have intensified assaults near Kurakhove, eastern Ukraine, as Ukrainian troops strive to maintain their positions in crucial regions. Ukrainian President Zelenskiy commended the military's efforts, noting significant clashes in Pokrovsk and Sumy. Despite stretched resources, Ukraine has managed to repel numerous attacks.

Russian forces concentrated their attacks near the beleaguered town of Kurakhove in eastern Ukraine on Friday, as Ukrainian troops struggled to maintain their defensive lines at a critical stage of the conflict, according to Kyiv. Russians also targeted Ukraine's rail hub of Pokrovsk, attempting to disrupt logistics and seize control of the eastern Donetsk region, nearly three years after invading Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine lauded his soldiers for holding the crucial positions in Pokrovsk and Kurakhove—the most challenging sectors in the east. Despite being stretched thin, Ukraine's military reported repelling 64 attacks near Kurakhove in the past day, marking the heaviest fighting this month.

Additionally, the Ukrainian military thwarted 36 attacks near Pokrovsk on the same day. Combined, these confrontations formed more than two-thirds of the 140 clashes across over 1,000 km of front lines in the northeast, east, and south in the last 24 hours.

In a tactical maneuver, Kyiv initiated a cross-border assault into Russia's Kursk region in early August to divert Russian forces from the eastern front. Although they achieved rapid initial progress, the situation around Pokrovsk remains precarious.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine's northern Sumy region, a Russian guided bomb attack on Friday resulted in two fatalities and six injuries, including a four-year-old child. Sumy, bordering Kursk, was previously used by Ukraine as a launchpad for its August incursion into Russia.

The village of Yampil, around 20 km from the border, suffered four guided bomb strikes, causing damage to homes and a healthcare facility, and cutting off power supplies, Sumy regional prosecutors reported on Telegram.

(With inputs from agencies.)