(Dan Tri) – Reports from both sides show that Russia has a strong advantage in artillery, air force and armored vehicles when Moscow gained control of the stronghold including factories on the southeastern edge of Avdiivka.
Ukrainian soldiers opened fire on Russian positions in the East (Photo: Reuters).
Official and open source reports on November 27 said that the Russian army captured fortified positions controlled by Ukrainian forces for more than eight years on the southeastern edge of the city of Avdiivka, near the Yasynuvata station.
Reports also said that Russian infantry, supported by tanks, strong artillery and air strikes, pushed Ukrainian troops out of nearly 90% of the industrial zone southeast of the city of Avdiivka.
On the other side of the city, in the northern industrial zone around the Avdiivka chemical and coke plant, Russia continues to threaten the already tight supply of supplies for Kiev forces in this area.
Pro-Russian bloggers claim Moscow forces have captured the entire coke plant site as well as part of the adjacent railway line, and have nearly broken the Ukrainian line in the village of Stepove, further west
Ukrainian sources claim the situation is `difficult`, but insist they still control the factory.
In this context, Russia’s offensive momentum will leave thousands of Ukrainian soldiers trapped throughout the center of Avdiivka, at the bottom of a funnel less than 15km wide and at risk of being surrounded.
With its location near Donetsk, the largest city in Donetsk province, Avdiivka has been on the front line between Ukrainian forces and separatist forces since 2014. In October this year, Russia launched a local attack with the aim of
Sources of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) said the country’s army continued to hold out and did not mention any lost territories.
Avdiivka location (Photo: BBC).
Russian and Ukrainian sources both confirmed that Ukrainian soldiers inside Avdiivka are still being supplied, but Russia’s control of the city’s industrial zone will make Kiev’s efforts to defend the area more difficult.
`The capture (of the southern industrial zone of Avdiivka) deprived Ukraine of a strong defense line in the southeast of Avdiivka located on a hill… from the industrial zone we can effectively regulate artillery fire
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army on November 27 announced that Ukrainian forces still held the Avdiivka area under heavy Russian pressure, but did not mention the lost territory.
`In the direction of Avdiivka, the enemy, with the support of the air force, constantly made efforts to surround Avdiivka. The Ukrainian army defended firmly, causing significant losses to the enemy. The enemy’s offensive activities were all
Vitaly Barabash, head of the Avdiivka city administration, said on the evening of November 26 that fierce battles on the ground were taking place in harsh weather conditions with snowfall and high winds.
`The enemy is using heavy bombs and conducting air strikes. The coke factory is almost completely destroyed. Therefore, holding out for defense is not as easy as when this area was like an artillery barrage.
`During the day, there is a lot of artillery and rockets, there is no silence at the positions of Ukrainian forces day or night, the enemy is moving 24 hours a day,` Mr. Barabash added.
A video, allegedly recorded by a group of soldiers from Ukraine’s 110th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, shows fierce Russian attacks disrupting Ukrainian battle formations and a general retreat.
Another open source video located in the Avdiivka area recorded Russian use of artillery shells against Ukrainian positions and Russian tanks appearing to move freely in the southeastern suburbs of the city.
Ukraine’s open-source military intelligence platform DeepState reported last weekend that Russian troops had achieved `partial success` in the southern Advivka industrial region, while Ukrainian troops in some locations withdrew
According to a report by DeepState, Russian tanks can approach Ukrainian positions at close range, and Ukrainian troops in the Avdiivka region appear to lack the anti-tank missiles and rockets needed to defend themselves.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on November 26 confirmed reports of Russian advances in the Avdiivka area, thanks to Ukraine’s strong firepower and weakened defense capabilities.
Ukraine’s Western allies over the past 18 months have equipped the Ukrainian army with Western weapons.
According to reports by soldiers from both sides of the fighting, modern Western equipment operated by the Ukrainian army is limited in effectiveness due to a persistent shortage of 155mm artillery shells while Russia has the upper hand.
