(Kyiv) The Ukrainian army claimed Thursday to be holding the defense of the town of Avdiïvka in the east, the target for several days of a large-scale offensive by Russian forces who are once again trying to encircle this well-established stronghold. defended.
The mayor of the locality, Vitaly Barabach, reported for the third consecutive day Thursday a “very tense situation” with “fighting around the city which has not calmed down” and bombings on Ukrainian positions and the city itself.
He notably reported a missile attack during the night on this industrial city in Donbass, which did not cause any casualties.
According to the mayor, the Ukrainian troops are holding their ground, have retained their positions and “all attacks have been repelled”. “In some places we even tried to counterattack,” he said on television.
A spokesperson for the Ukrainian army, Andriï Kovalev, also assured that the troops present in Avdiïvka “courageously hold the defense” of the city and “repel attacks”.
The Russian army for its part claimed on Wednesday to have “improved” its positions in the sector.
According to the Russian Telegram channel Rybar, close to the army, Moscow’s troops notably captured a dominant height on the northern flank and entered the village of Stepové northwest of Avdiïvka, where fighting is currently taking place.
Several analysts, based on the images and videos of this assault available on social networks, have for their part reported significant Russian losses in terms of military equipment.
According to Mayor Vitaly Barabach, this is “the largest offensive on Avdiïvka of the war”, where Russian forces engaged “dozens or even hundreds of vehicles”.
Avdiïvka, built around a large coking plant, is located 13 km from Donetsk, the capital, under Russian control, of the eponymous region whose annexation Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed a year ago.
It has been close to the front line since 2014, when the war began between the Ukrainian army and separatists led and armed by Russia, following the annexation of the Crimean peninsula. This area is therefore particularly fortified.
Since the February 2022 invasion, the Russians have regularly tried to launch attacks to take Avdiïvka.