Soldiers in the 1st Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine conduct training in Kiev province (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 putting up reserves. They brought about 40.000 people here with all kinds of ammunition," Mr. Kotsukon said. “We see no signs that the Russians are abandoning their plans to surround Avdiivka.”
The spokesman also said that Russian forces are "playing a game of cat and mouse", dispatching "large numbers" of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) while deploying artillery to ensure a clear understanding of the Russian defense system. town.
Starting in mid-October, Russian forces launched a major attack on Avdiivka. Intense fighting left this town devastated. Video from the field shows that buildings here have been reduced to rubble and only 10 of the 1.500 pre-war residents remain.
However, General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, head of Ukraine's southern group of forces, said the army around Avdiivka was "resolutely defending".
Avdiivka has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. This place briefly fell into the hands of Russian-backed separatists in 2014, but the Ukrainian army later recaptured it and reinforced its defenses.
Local officials said the Russian side was delaying launching a "third attack" 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 national television. “Today is the second day the weather is favorable for this.”
Map of the battlefield of Avdiivka and Donetsk city, as of November 8 (Graphic: Institute of War Studies).
Ukrainian forces see Avdiivka as a gateway for their future military operations to retake territory in the east, including the major Russian-held town of Donetsk 20 kilometers away.
Ukrainian analysts believe that Russia did not gain much advantage by trying to attack Avdiivka in a battle that was long and brought heavy losses.
“This mission is now more political considering the losses the Russian army has suffered here,” military analyst Denys Popovych told the radio station. NV. "Unfortunately, this mission continues, there will be a third attack, and a fourth."
Ukraine's military launched a counteroffensive in June in the south and east, but progress has been much slower than last year's campaign.
Reuters It was impossible to verify battlefield information from both sides.
Ukraine wants Russia to spread its troops thinly
On the southern front, Ukrainian forces plan to spread Russian troops thin and create potential problems in the coming winter, as shown by Kiev's army moving troops in "limited numbers" to the shore. The east side of the Dnipro River is currently controlled by Russia, according to defense security analyst Michael Clarke.
Ukraine has been consolidating a small "springboard" area on the east bank of the Dnipro River, in the southern Kherson province, for a relatively long time.
“This move is intended to spread Russian forces thin by threatening their flank in Zaporizhia in southeastern Ukraine, thereby drawing Russian forces away from Ukraine's offensive line south of Orikhiv,” Mr. Clarke explain.
Despite “some success,” the plan was not 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 freezes over winter, allowing Kiev's army to bring in armored units.
“That could become part of a new offensive to create a pincer position to tighten Russian forces between the Dnipro River and the area around Tokmak (city in Zaporizhia),” Mr. Clarke said.
