Ukraine War 11/26: Russia opens "steel door", enters Avdiivka

Russian artillery fighting in Ukraine (Photo: Sky News).

Russia opens wide the "steel door" to enter Avdiivka

Rybar channel reported that a few hours ago, Russian soldiers successfully took control of the last building in the Promka industrial zone and continued to advance along Yasinovataya Avenue south of the fortified Avdiivka area after several days of fierce and bloody fighting.

Since 2014, the industrial zone has been under the control of Ukrainian forces. However, despite fortifications, bunkers and reinforcements, it is now fully under the control of the Russian Army.

The area is not only of symbolic but also of strategic importance, as it is considered an “iron gate” blocking the entrance to Avdiivka and is located on a hill overlooking the southern outskirts of the city. The southern neighborhoods are within firing range of this line, opening the door to the inner city, making the situation worse for the Ukrainian armed forces.

According to the Suriyakmaps channel, after capturing the Promka industrial zone, the next goal of Moscow forces will be to control the quarries and the Vinogradniki farm, from where they can monitor the activities of the Ukrainians in the forest.

At the same time, Russian forces will advance to seize the forest approaches behind the Ukrainian defense line along the H-20 road to gain firm control over the Donetsk filtration station.

Map of the Ukrainian war in the south of Avdiivka as of the morning of November 26 (Photo: Suriyakmaps).

However, as stated earlier, the Russian advance would be difficult due to the large number of defending forces in this forest and the possibility of a collapse of forces if the northern flank failed to make progress.

But the worries of the Moscow commanders were partly relieved because on the northern flank, Russian units achieved important results by repelling Ukrainian forces at the pumping station, capturing the first buildings in the coal plant area, establishing a foothold on the railway near the plant and expanding the area of ​​control.

The main objective appears to have been the railway line across to the south to cut off the main supply route into the eastern part.

Russia intercepted and decrypted communications showing Ukrainian forces complaining about lack of support and command retreating from Avdiivka, leaving subordinates to fend for themselves.

Meanwhile, the transfer of reinforcements is underway. Units from the 116th Ukrainian Mechanized Brigade were withdrawn from the Zaporizhia direction, and the 45th Separate Rifle Battalion was placed under the command of the 31st Mechanized Brigade due to losses.

Map of the Ukrainian war in the Avdiivka area as of November 25 (Photo: Rybar).

If Russia advances to the center of Avdiivka, the entire Ukrainian defense line will collapse.

The very serious problem for the Ukrainian army is that if the Russian Army advances to the center of the city of Avdiivka, in the map below, the entire yellow line of defense of Ukraine (AFU) will collapse, the situation is very dire: there is no artillery support in the southeast corner (too far); supply lines are controlled; reinforcements do not want to go to the "fire pot"; the police have left the area.

Ukrainian troops in the center of Avdiivka are at risk of collapse (Photo: Geroman).

Mr. Zelensky: Ukraine will receive warships to increase combat power in the Black Sea

Speaking at the Grain Conference in Kiev on Saturday, November 25, President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that partner countries have pledged to transfer warships to Ukraine to enhance the safety of ships moving through the important “grain corridor” in the Black Sea, Kyiv Post reported.

Mr Zelensky hailed the creation and operation of the “grain corridor” as one of the year’s notable achievements.

"We have reached an agreement with our partners and will provide maritime escorts to ensure the safety of ships," President Zelensky explained at the conference.

He stressed that specific agreements on the reception of warships have been made and this will become a reality in the near future.

In addition, President Zelensky stressed that the Odessa region will be better protected through the deployment of additional air defense systems, a measure that has been coordinated and agreed upon with Ukraine's international partners.

Kyiv hit by 'largest-scale' UAV attack since conflict began

AFP reported that Ukraine's air force said it shot down 74 of 75 Russian attack drones that attacked the country overnight.

Most of it fell in Kiev, cutting power in the city centre as temperatures dropped below freezing.

It was the largest drone attack since the conflict erupted.

"The enemy launched a record number of attack drones into Ukraine! The main direction of the attack is Kiev," said the commander of the Ukrainian air force, General Mykola Oleschuk.

In total, about 75 UAVs were launched by Russia from two different directions - Primorsko - Akhtarsk and Kursk Region. All of them were primarily aimed at the city of Kiev.

Slovakian Prime Minister : War in Ukraine could last until 2030

The Kyiv Post reported that Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Friday, November 24, that the Ukraine conflict risks lasting until 2030 if peace talks are not initiated.

Mr Fico - a left-wing populist who won a general election in September - said during the campaign that he would stop military aid commitments to Ukraine by previous governments.

Ukrainian forces defend positions on the left bank of the Dnipro River.

Kyiv Independent reports that officials say Ukrainian forces continue to hold positions on the left bank of the Dnieper River in Kherson.

Kiev said its armed forces were inflicting serious damage on the enemy in the region and Moscow had suffered "huge losses".

Last week, Russia said its marines, air force and artillery were hampering Ukraine's efforts to gain a foothold on the eastern coast.

Russia reduces air strikes, ground troops remain active

The Kyiv Independent reported that General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of the Tavria Group fighting on the front line in southeastern Ukraine, said on November 25 that Russian forces had reduced the number of airstrikes against Ukraine but their ground troops' activity remained high.

Russia has reportedly carried out four airstrikes on the southeastern frontline over the past day.

Kiev forces also recorded 50 clashes between Ukraine and Russia.

The general said Russian forces had lost 502 soldiers in the past day, without specifying whether they were killed or wounded in combat.

The Ukrainian military also reported that Russia lost 24 pieces of military equipment, including one tank, four armored personnel carriers, four artillery systems, 12 UAVs and three vehicles, and that 21 Russian vehicles were damaged over the past day.

Mr. Tarnavskyi said that three Russian soldiers "chose life" and surrendered to Ukrainian forces.

Meanwhile, Ukraine held its defensive lines on the Avdiivka axis and continued its offensive in the direction of Melitopol.

The attacks on Avdiivka, the gateway to Donetsk, a major city in Donbass, have caused huge losses for Moscow.

Russia has begun an attack on the Avdiivka coal plant (Source: Telegram).

According to the Ukrainian military, Russian forces have lost about 10,000 soldiers, more than 100 tanks, more than 250 other armored vehicles and seven Su-25 aircraft in a month of fighting near the frontline city.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet is facing a difficult problem.

The Guardian reports that Russia’s Black Sea Fleet traditionally reloads its cruise missiles at the Crimean naval port of Sevastopol. With the facility increasingly at risk from long-range Ukrainian attacks, Russia is likely to see Novorossiysk as the best alternative.

However, moving and reloading the missiles would require new transportation, storage, handling, and reloading procedures.

On November 13, the Ukrainian military announced that Russia had paused sea-based cruise missile firing due to “logistical problems” in Novorossiysk.

Russia will need to overcome such problems "in order to promptly introduce sea-based cruise missiles into any winter offensive operation against Ukraine," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Two airports in Moscow temporarily closed

TASS reported that on November 26, Moscow's two international airports, Vnukovo and Domodedovo, had to temporarily suspend operations.

According to Flightradar portal data, the plane is in the waiting area.

At 5:20 a.m. on November 26 (9:20 a.m. Vietnam time), propagandists announced that flights had resumed, but Flightradar showed that planes continued to circle Moscow.

Two international airports in Moscow were temporarily closed early on the morning of November 26 (Photo: Flightradar)

According to AFP, Guardian, Kyiv Post, Kyiv Independent, Ukrainska Pravda, Rybar, Geroman, Suriyakmaps

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/chien-su-ukraine-2611-nga-mo-canh-cua-thep-tien-vao-avdiivka-20231126104757256.htm