In the Liman direction, as well as in the Zarichny area in the Donetsk region, an increase in the “gray zone” has been registered. The Russians are exerting constant pressure in these sections of the front. This is what analysts of the DeepState monitoring project write.
"After the assault on Yampil, which ultimately proved unsuccessful, the Russians turned their attention to the forests that stretch over a large area all the way to Liman. Initially, the enemy began to gather in the forest north of Yampil, then tried and is still trying to cross the railway line and enter the village, but Ukrainian pilots are actively working on the front line, destroying the enemy during the assault attempts,“ the report says.
The analysts add that later the Russian troops began to bypass Yampil to the west, also hiding from Ukrainian drones in the forest zone to find places to enter the settlement.
These attempts by the Russians continue to this day, with varying success - sometimes one or more Russian soldiers manage to sneak into the village, but meet their doom there, the monitoring project writes.
"In recent days, the enemy has increased the area of its infiltration attempts and is already registered in different parts of the gray zone of the forest, in particular, several times it was on the outskirts of Liman. Usually the enemy uses the cover of night and tries to penetrate deep into the territory with small groups of infantry, primarily to survive and wait for the approach of other groups, forming a cluster.
The offensive is also carried out through the positions of the Defense Forces, which are not sufficient for such an area, but the constant surveillance and work of the pilots save the situation, who try to detect the enemy so that he cannot cluster in certain places. At the same time, cleaning groups are working, which also prevent the enemy's offensive and concentration“, writes DeepState.
DeepState adds that all processes take place without entrenching the enemy. Russian soldiers aim to climb as deep as possible and try to build up at the end points of their route, as they do in the Serebryanka-Dronivka area.
Austria said on Monday that it would agree to the latest package of European Union sanctions against Russia, a change from its previous position on the issue, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the Austrian Foreign Ministry.
EU foreign ministers are due to meet in Luxembourg on Monday to finalise the 19th package of sanctions against Russia.
A few days ago, media reported that Austria had blocked the 19th package of EU sanctions, insisting on the relief of 2 billion euros for Raiffeisen Bank in the Russian Federation.
According to the draft proposal, due to the difficulties faced by Raiffeisen International Bank (RIB), Austria is seeking to made a certain "derogation" from the current EU sanctions, which would allow the competent authorities at their discretion to allow the unfreezing of frozen funds.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaia Kallas, explained, however, that the debate on the package is still ongoing.