Russian gains in territory
Kiev’s troops come under pressure in Avdiivka
October 26, 2023, 1:13 p.m
A good two weeks ago, the Russian army launched attacks north and south of Avdiivka. Things are slowly getting tight for the defenders of the industrial city. Observers note Moscow’s successes. The Ukrainian army’s supply corridor is shrinking.
The situation for Kiev’s troops has worsened near the contested city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine. “A battle is taking place here in which the (Russian) enemy is throwing its main forces,” wrote journalist Yuri Butussov, who is well connected in the military, on Telegram.
According to his statement, the Russian military has captured an area about a kilometer wide along a railway embankment north of the city. Advances over the dam are expected in the direction of the villages of Stepove and Berdychi and the site of the coke factory that dominates the city. According to various sources, the Ukrainian-controlled supply corridor has reduced to six to eight kilometers.
Of the once more than 30,000 inhabitants, only around 1,000 remain in the heavily destroyed industrial city. Avdiivka is already more than half surrounded by Russian troops. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, 15 Russian attacks were repelled near the city over the past day. The Russian army continues to try to encircle Avdiivka and is also using aircraft to do so.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes in its current situation report, that the Russian forces recently succeeded in making an advance and were able to advance northwest of Krasnohorivka, which is located five kilometers away from Avdiivka. Russian forces also claimed that their troops controlled the dump from the town, which a Ukrainian military observer confirmed. However, according to US experts, the head of the Ukrainian military administration Avdiivka rejected this claim. Rather, he declared the dump to be a controversial “grey area”.
Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for more than 20 months. The front line against the separatists supported by Moscow has been running near Avdiivka since 2014. The Russian-controlled regional capital Donetsk is just a few kilometers south. The Russian army began new attacks north and south of Avdiivka a good two weeks ago. A counteroffensive in southern Ukraine launched by Kiev at the beginning of June has so far fallen short of expectations.