Frontline clashes in Ukraine continue to decline, airstrike frequency remains steady
The number of engagements along all fronts in the Ukrainian-Russian war continued to decline on Friday compared to Thursday and Wednesday, though the intensity of airstrikes remained largely unchanged.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, there were 183 engagements across the war's front lines on Friday, down from 209 on Thursday and 224 on Wednesday. For comparison, Tuesday saw 202 engagements, while last week the daily figures fluctuated between 140 and 166.
The Pokrovsk sector in Donetsk remains the most intense, with clashes increasing to 73 on Friday (up from 68 on Thursday), continuing to account for about a third of all battles along the frontline.
Conversely, enemy activity dropped significantly in the Kupiansk and Lyman sectors (three and 16 clashes, respectively, compared to 26 and 32 the previous day). A substantial reduction was also observed in the Hulyaipole sector (four engagements compared to nine), whereas activity in the Orikhiv sector rose (eight clashes versus four).
As was the case the previous day, a slight decrease in Russian artillery fire was recorded, with 5,899 attacks on Friday compared to 6,430 on Thursday and 6,743 on Wednesday, following a period of sustained increase.
However, on Thursday, Russian forces launched 94 airstrikes on Ukrainian positions and settlements, dropping 179 guided bombs. This was a slight decline from Wednesday, when 98 airstrikes and 157 guided bombs were recorded. Enemy air force activity has seen an overall uptick in recent days.