Ukrainian officials from the Zaporizhia and Sumy regions reported on Saturday that Russia has intensified its shelling in areas located in eastern Ukraine outside the main frontline in the industrial Donbas region. Russian sources indicated that fierce battles are ongoing in a region of Zaporizhia Oblast, and that Russian forces have gained control of a new area near Soledar.
Details from the Russian Ministry of Defense indicated that a recent offensive has allowed its forces to occupy more advantageous positions along the front line in Zaporizhia, which Ukrainian military officials have described as an exaggeration. Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports from the battlefield.
Zaporizhia Governor Oleksandr Starukh reported on Telegram that Russia launched 166 attacks on the region in one day, targeting populated areas in 113 of them, resulting in civilian casualties. Russia claims it does not target civilians.
Additionally, Vladimir Rogov, leader of the "We are with Russia" movement, announced fierce clashes between Ukrainian troops and the Russian army near the city of Hulyaipole in Zaporizhia Oblast. He mentioned on his Telegram channel, “We made progress today at the contact line in Zaporizhia and along the Orekhiv axis, with fierce battles in Hulyaipole,” adding that he expects positive news from the front.
Rogov, a member of the main council of the Zaporizhia Oblast administration, stated that fighting is ongoing in the region, accompanied by Russian advancements and the liberation of several points along the entire frontline. Earlier, Rogov indicated that Russian forces breached Ukrainian positions at the contact line in Zaporizhia at Orekhiv, Hulyaipole, and the village of Kamyanske. According to him, Russian forces advanced 7 kilometers during the day and managed to penetrate the first line of Ukrainian defense in certain sectors of the Zaporizhia region.
### Russian Advances Near Soledar
Russian media reported from sources near Soledar that Russian forces have successfully advanced towards the Soledar-Bakhmut direction, having gained control of the village of Krasnopillya, located near Soledar. Russian media stated that Wagner fighters seized control of Krasnopillya, which lies north of the village of Sol, indicating that the attack is still ongoing from multiple directions.
On January 20, the Ministry of Defense reported that Russian forces had gained control of the residential area of Klishchivka near Bakhmut in Donetsk. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated, “Volunteers from the assault units, with fire support from operational and tactical aviation, the army, and missile and artillery forces of the Southern Military District, managed to liberate the Klishchivka residential area.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced on Saturday that Russian forces had taken control of the village of Dvorychne in the Donetsk axis, stating that the Ukrainian army suffered losses of up to 50 dead and wounded during the battle. Since Ukraine launched a bold counteroffensive in late August, fighting has concentrated in the Donbas, which includes most of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions partially controlled by Russia.
Officials and analysts noted that Russian attacks aim to increase the burden on Ukrainian defenses and prevent Kyiv from reclaiming territory. In Sumy, which is under Ukrainian control, Governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky reported on Telegram that Russian forces conducted 115 attacks in the region bordering Russia in northeastern Ukraine. He added that a 17-year-old was injured and several homes and infrastructure facilities were destroyed.
