Ukraine reported on Wednesday that Russian forces had escalated attacks on the almost surrounded industrial town of Avdiivka in the eastern Donetsk region, a recent hotspot of Moscow’s invasion.
Avdiivka — once home to approximately 30,000 people — has been on the front line since 2014 and is located in the Donetsk region, which the Kremlin has claimed to have annexed along with three other regions.
Russia launched a new attempt to capture the war-torn town last month, and analysts suggest that Moscow’s forces have made gradual gains.
“Over the past day, the enemy has significantly increased its activity. It is using armored vehicles,” stated Oleksandr Tarnavsky, the Ukrainian commander responsible for the territory.
He disclosed that Russian forces had carried out nearly 20 airstrikes, launched four missiles, and initiated 56 assault waves at his forces, along with firing over 1,000 artillery rounds.
Tarnavsky asserted that Ukrainian forces were “firmly holding the line along the Avdiivka front,” although this statement could not be independently verified.
Neither side has achieved substantial breakthroughs on the battlefield for weeks, as Moscow’s invasion approaches its second year.
