Ukraine’s top military commander says Russia has concentrated an enormous force along the front line, warning that Moscow is preparing for a broader push even as its units struggle to make decisive gains.

Speaking at the 32nd meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said Russia has increased its troop strength to roughly 710,000 personnel for a strategic offensive operation against Ukraine. Despite heavy casualties, he said, Russian forces continue assault operations across multiple sectors without achieving significant operational breakthroughs.

Heavy forces, limited gains

According to Syrskyi’s briefing, the overall situation along the front remains difficult. Russian units are pressing forward with wave-style attacks and extensive use of artillery and aviation, but Ukrainian defenses have so far prevented large-scale advances. Syrskyi stressed that the reported 710,000-strong grouping reflects both front-line units and formations held in reserve for potential future operations.

He pointed to operations in the Kupiansk sector as an example of how Ukrainian forces are trying to offset Russia’s numerical advantages. Through active search-and-strike tactics and coordinated defensive actions, Ukrainian units have pushed Russian troops back from Kupiansk and now control almost 90 percent of the city’s territory.

Pokrovsk: a focal point of Russian pressure

Syrskyi devoted particular attention to the Pokrovsk direction in the Donetsk region, which he described as one of the key axes of Russian effort. Russian forces have been attempting to seize Pokrovsk for more than 17 months, committing substantial manpower and equipment in repeated assaults

Ukrainian units, he said, continue to hold their positions and increasingly take the initiative. As a result of recent counteroffensive actions, the Defense Forces have regained about 16 square kilometers in the northern part of the city and recaptured roughly 56 square kilometers of territory near the settlements of Hryshyne, Kotlyne, and Udachne, to the west of Pokrovsk.

On December 10, Russian troops attempted to break through in the area of Hryshyne near Pokrovsk using a column of motorized vehicles. According to Ukrainian reporting, the attack was halted, and the advancing units came under precise fire from Ukrainian forces, suffering significant losses in equipment and personnel.

Air defense and logistics under constant threat

Maintaining secure logistics routes into Pokrovsk and neighboring cities has become a priority as Russia intensifies strikes on rear areas. The 7th Corps of the Airborne Assault Forces reports that Ukrainian troops continue to carry out tasks to contain the enemy within the Pokrovsk agglomeration, providing air cover for key ground supply corridors.

Thanks to the coordinated work of Ukraine’s air defense and electronic warfare units, nearly 100 percent of enemy air targets attempting to approach major logistical routes in the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad area are being destroyed, according to the Ukrainian military. This defensive umbrella is intended to keep ammunition, fuel, medical supplies, and reinforcements flowing to the frontline brigades holding the line.

Earlier updates from the East military command indicated that Ukrainian defenders in this sector continue to hold back Russian advances thanks to newly arrived reinforcements and reconfigured defensive lines. These measures are designed to absorb Russia’s intensified assaults while preserving combat-ready units for future operations.

Countering narratives and managing expectations

Amid the fighting, Ukrainian officials have challenged claims from Russian state media and military bloggers that Pokrovsk has already been fully occupied by Russian troops. Statements from pro-Kremlin outlets asserting complete control over the city, Syrskyi said, do not correspond to reality. Ukrainian forces continue to control significant parts of the city and surrounding area, even as Russian units employ heavy weapons, including thermobaric artillery systems, in attempts to force a breakthrough.

For now, Ukraine’s command portrays the situation as a grinding contest of attrition. Russia may have assembled roughly 710,000 personnel for a strategic offensive, but the picture on the ground remains defined by incremental movements, intense localized battles, and the constant effort to stabilize key sectors such as Kupiansk and Pokrovsk.

In Syrskyi’s assessment, the combination of reinforced defenses, targeted counterattacks, and high intercept rates against Russian air threats is buying Ukraine time, even as both sides absorb heavy losses in a conflict that shows no sign of a quick resolution.