Soldiers of the 1st Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine conduct training in Kiev region (Photo: Reuters).
Anton Kotsukon, spokesman for Ukraine's 110th Mechanized Brigade, said Russian forces were attacking the strategic town of Avdiivka from three sides.
"They are gathering reserves. They have brought in about 40,000 men and all kinds of ammunition," Mr. Kotsukon said. "We see no signs that the Russians are abandoning their plan to encircle Avdiivka."
The spokesman also said Russian forces were "playing cat and mouse", deploying "large numbers" of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) while deploying artillery to ensure they had a clear understanding of the town's defenses.
Beginning in mid-October, Russian forces launched a major assault on Avdiivka. Fierce fighting left the town devastated. Video from the field showed buildings in ruins and only 1,500 of the pre-war population of 32,000 remained.
However, General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, head of Ukraine's southern group of forces, said troops around Avdiivka were "standing firm in their defence".
Avdiivka has become a symbol of Ukraine’s resistance. It briefly fell to Russian-backed separatists in 2014, but the Ukrainian army later recaptured it and fortified its defenses.
Local officials say Russia is delaying a "third offensive" after a week of heavy rain.
"The third wave has not started yet but they are preparing," Vitaliy Barabash, head of the military administration of the town of Avdiivka, told state television. "Today is the second day of favorable weather for this."
Map of the Avdiivka battlefield and the city of Donetsk, as of November 8 (Graphic: Institute for the Study of War).
Ukrainian forces see Avdiivka as a gateway for future military operations to retake territory in the east, including the large Russian-held town of Donetsk 20 km away.
Ukrainian analysts say Russia has not gained much ground by trying to attack Avdiivka in a battle that has been long and costly.
"This task now has a more political character, given the losses the Russian army has suffered here," military analyst Denys Popovych told NV radio. "Unfortunately, this task continues, there will be a third wave, there will be a fourth."
The Ukrainian army launched a counteroffensive in June in the south and east, but progress has been much slower than last year's campaign.
Reuters could not verify battlefield information from either side.
Ukraine wants Russia to thin its troops
On the southern front, Ukrainian forces plan to spread Russian forces thin and create potential problems in the coming winter, as evidenced by Kiev's military moving "limited numbers" of troops to the Russian-controlled east bank of the Dnipro River, according to defense and security analyst Michael Clarke.
Ukraine has been strengthening its small "pedal" area on the east bank of the Dnipro River, in the southern Kherson province, for quite some time now.
“This move is intended to spread Russian forces thin by threatening their flank in Zaporizhia in southeastern Ukraine, thereby drawing Russian forces away from the Ukrainian thrust south of Orikhiv,” Mr. Clarke explained.
Despite having achieved "some success", the plan has not been enough to make a difference to Russia's defenses to the east.
But Mr Clarke said Ukrainian forces could create problems for Russia as the muddy ground froze in winter, allowing Kiev's army to bring in armoured units.
“That could become part of a new offensive to create a pincer movement that squeezes Russian forces between the Dnipro River and the area around Tokmak (a city in Zaporizhia),” Mr Clarke said.
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