Several dozen Russian guided aerial bombs typically strike the Joint Forces Group’s area of responsibility every day.
Spokesperson for the Joint Forces Group Viktor Trehubov made the statement during a televised broadcast, responding to questions about the current activity of Russian aircraft and the extent to which Russian forces rely on guided aerial bombs, Ukrinform reports.
"Today, a guided aerial bomb is not very accurate, but it is still a fairly powerful weapon. Usually, several dozen of them hit along the entire line within our area of responsibility every day," he said.
Trehubov noted that Russian guided bombs have never been particularly accurate, adding that Ukrainian troops are taking certain technical measures to reduce their accuracy even further.
"So, on the one hand, one of these bombs will hit and explode with tremendous force, but there is no guarantee it will hit the target the Russians want. On the other hand, the fact that it hits and explodes at all does not exactly make the air any cleaner. So we are waiting for more effective means of combating Russian aircraft," the spokesperson said.
He suggested that a solution might be found next year.
In response to a question, Trehubov said Russian forces were undoubtedly trying to advance deeper into settlements near both Vovchansk and Lyptsi.
"Of course, they are trying both to bypass settlements and to advance directly into them. They are actively trying to push beyond Vovchansk to the south. Overall, along that entire line, they are simply trying to expand their zone of control southward," the spokesperson said.
Asked whether he had observed any changes in his area of responsibility following several phases of Operation Vivaldi in Donetsk region, whether the operation had disoriented Russian forces, or whether there had been any weakening of Russian positions along the front line, he said that this had occurred, if at all, only in the south, somewhere around Borova, from where some redeployments had taken place.
"But overall, I would say that this is more a matter of Russian forces becoming somewhat depleted at the beginning of autumn. They had many major objectives to achieve by the end of summer. They tried to accomplish some of them and became somewhat exhausted in the process, and the overall intensity of hostilities decreased in autumn," Trehubov said.
The spokesperson noted that the intensity of hostilities had increased somewhat recently, but remained moderate overall.
He also said that the area under his responsibility was currently fairly well equipped with engineering fortifications, including defensive and protective structures.
"In other words, there is reason to thank the engineers," Trehubov said.