(Reuters) – Russian forces continue their advance on the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka despite suffering heavy losses, according to Ukrainian officials. The focus of Russian military operations has been on the Donetsk and Luhansk regions since its failed attempt to capture Kyiv in February 2022.
Avdiivka, a town in the Donetsk region known for its coking plant, is now seen as a stronghold of Ukrainian resistance. Ukraine’s southern groups of forces spokesperson, Oleksandr Shtupun, commented on national TV that Ukraine was successfully pushing back against the enemy’s attempts to move forward.
Shtupun added that although the situation is far from stable, heavy fighting persists, although the enemy’s activity has somewhat decreased. Russian forces, primarily relying on infantry, have suffered significant losses with 2,500 dead and wounded in the area over the past six days, which even for Russia is considered substantial.
Head of Avdiivka’s military administration, Vitaliy Barabash, stated that Russia is applying pressure from the north but has been unable to advance beyond a rail line under Ukrainian control. He also dismissed reports of Russian troops gaining control of one of the town’s large slag heaps.
Ukrainian captain Valeriy Prozapas told Espreso TV that the Russian forces are taking advantage of the fact that Avdiivka is partially surrounded. Prozapas added that politically, Russia needs to sell some form of victory, even if temporary, to its population.
While Ukraine’s counteroffensive, initiated in June, has led to the capture of devastated villages in the east and some settlements in the south, it is progressing at a slower pace compared to last year’s rapid advance in the northeast.
Russian accounts of the recent fighting made no mention of Avdiivka but claimed that Russian troops successfully repelled 15 Ukrainian attacks near Kupiansk, further north. Ukrainian officials acknowledged the heavy fighting near Kupiansk, a town that was initially seized by Russian troops but later reclaimed by Ukraine.
Authorities in the Kharkiv region have announced a mandatory evacuation of families from ten localities in the area. Reuters, however, could not independently verify the battle reports from either side.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar; Editing by Tom Hogue)
