Drone footage published by the Ukrainian army shows a long column of Russian combat vehicles advancing towards Ukrainian defensive positions without encountering more resistance than occasional artillery shelling. Other images show Russian tanks being stopped with mines and anti-tank missiles.
The local commander described to Ukrainian media the fighting as the most severe in the area since the Russian full-scale invasion in February 2022. Among other things, Avdiivka has been hit by about 20 missiles.
"The fighting around the city is not slowing down, the shelling is not slowing down," says Vitaly Barabash.
That is why the Russians want to conquer Avdiivka
The city, which had around 31,000 inhabitants before the Russian invasion, has been a military fortress ever since Russian-loyal forces occupied the large neighboring city of Donetsk in 2014. It is unclear how many Ukrainian soldiers are in or around Avdiivka, but Ukrainian and Russian military bloggers estimate the number to be between 10 and 15 thousand men. The city has a strategic value for Ukrainian defense artillery, which from they can shell Russian-occupied territory and there is a railway that the Russian forces need to transport materiel and soldiers.
Large Russian losses
According to the Ukrainian military, the Russians have lost 23 tanks, 73 infantry fighting vehicles and nine artillery systems during the week-long offensive. Ukrainian losses are unclear, pictures posted by Russian military bloggers on Telegram show losses of artillery, among other things. The Ukrainians have strong defensive positions, but have been forced to retreat in some areas. Up to three Russian battalions have been deployed to capture the city that is so important to Ukraine.