As of: February 15, 2024, 7:25 p.m
By: Patrick Mayer
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Ukraine simply does not want to give up Avdiivka, even though the Russian army is threatening to encircle hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers there.
Avdiivka - The small town in Donbass is considered the fortress of Ukraine in the east of the country.
We are talking about Avdiivka.
Since late summer 2014, the Ukrainian army has vehemently resisted the uprising by pro-Russian separatists and the invasion by Russia, which violates international law.
Avdiivka: Russian troops apparently cut off Ukrainian supplies
But now there is a risk of losing this stubbornly defended bastion in the Ukraine war, which is why Kiev is taking increasingly drastic military measures.
As Russian military bloggers reported on Wednesday and Thursday (February 15), Moscow autocrat Vladimir Putin's troops are said to have taken the so-called industrial road in the northwest of the small town and thus cut off Ukrainian supplies.
The Ukrainian army spokesman Dmytro Lykhowijx, who is responsible for the sector of the front, confirmed on Thursday a partial withdrawal of units to “more advantageous positions”.
Lychowijx left it open where these are located in the city or its hinterland.
“Resupply to Avdiivka and evacuation from the city are difficult, but now a well-prepared logistical artery is being used,” he explained.
According to maps from the
Institute for the Study of War (ISW)
, the Russian pocket is narrowing to a gap a few kilometers wide to the west of the former industrial city.
Avdiivka: Russian troops probably control the north of the Ukrainian city
Russian military bloggers on
The information cannot be independently verified.
Abandoning Avdiivka would be a bitter setback for the Ukrainians, who have held their positions here for around nine and a half years.
Meanwhile, to reinforce their claims, Russian bloggers shared a video on social media that purported to show Russian soldiers raising their country's flag over the former Avdiivka coking plant.
Meanwhile, Kiev is looking for a last resort to somehow hold on to the iconic city - and is taking a huge risk in the process.
Avdiivka
Avdiivka is a small town with 32,500 inhabitants in Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine.
The former industrial city is located almost 15 kilometers north of the city center of the large city of Donetsk (around 920,000 inhabitants).
It was known for its coking plant for producing coke and raw gas from coal.
In March 2023, Avdiivka was largely destroyed by Russian attacks after it had been the site of the military conflict in Donbass since 2014 - and again since autumn 2023.
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Avdiivka in Donbass: Ukraine now also sends well-known 3rd assault brigade
Because: As the American news magazine
Forbes
reports, for example, the General Staff has sent the 3rd Attack Brigade, known in Ukraine, to Avdiivka to help, which is said to consist largely of the notorious “Azov” fighters.
In June and July, the 3rd Assault Brigade in the Bakhmut area drove the Russians ahead of them for weeks and, documented by live video footage of battles, captured trench after trench.
The “Azov” fighters, as they are called in their homeland, are usually brought to the front lines in armored personnel carriers to take up enemy positions as infantry and secure strategically important points.
A video shared on X (see tweet above) purports to show an Azov unit in Avdiivka in an American MRAP, a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle.
So, in an armored troop transport that is supposed to protect against landmines, among other things.
Ukraine War: 110th Mechanized Brigade threatened with encirclement in Avdiivka
At the beginning of the counteroffensive in the summer, the Ukrainians had lost a number of these vehicles.
Now, in February, there are increasing reports that the Ukrainian troops could foreseeably give up several sections of the front in the defensive fight against the Russian invasion in order to move into new fortifications deeper in the country.
According to
the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ)
, Ukrainian artillerymen report that on some days they only have smoke grenades at their disposal.
Most recently, the Ukrainian army even sent some of its few M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Avdiivka - the USA only delivered a total of 31 of them.
Because of their enormous weight of over 61 tons, the steel colossi are considered to be manageably suitable for combat on the muddy ground of the Ukrainian winter.
And: They do not have the stand-off protection systems of more modern tanks, which could help against the feared Russian Lancet kamikaze drones.
The 110th Mechanized Brigade is said to have been in severe distress in the city for weeks.
Will the Ukrainians soon have to give up Avdiivka completely in order to prevent hundreds of soldiers from being trapped there?
(pm)