Russia has launched a major offensive on Avdiivka – another of the defining battles of the war has begun, CENSOR.NET editor in chief Yuriy Butusov reports.
Avdiivka is of strategic importance to Russia, as this city is actually the gateway to Donetsk, the main communication hub in the occupied territories. And in order to gain a foothold in the occupied Donbas, Putin needs to move the front line away from Donetsk.
In 2022, Russian troops launched an offensive against Avdiivka, trying to deeply engulf the city from both flanks. However, the Russian offensive was stopped due to the heroic resistance of Ukrainians.
The battle for Avdiivka will be more fierce than the battle for Vuhledar in winter. The dense construction of Donetsk and Yasynuvata facilitates covert actions, deployment of artillery among residential areas, and hidden actions of armored vehicles. Russia has concentrated significant aviation forces that use high-precision weapons, a large number of shells that could be obtained from North Korea and Iran.
The Russians are trying to create a great advantage in drones. Russian drones, along with artillery, are used to hit the front lines, and the enemy is trying to open the way for its infantry and tanks to break through the combat formations of our troops, primarily using a large number of high-precision munitions.
The main attack is coming from the south of Avdiivka. Unlike the first offensive on Avdiivka, which lasted from July 22 to March 23, the current attack is planned to cover the city in a much shorter arc. However, the enemy is trying to avoid fighting in the urban areas and create a threat of encirclement for our troops in the city.
The situation is very serious, the battle for Avdiivka requires concentration of all resources. The Ukrainian defense forces also have their own advantages in the area. We have a good understanding of where and how the enemy is going to attack. Now we need to realize these advantages. There are many targets for our artillery and attack drones.
A very difficult battle has begun.
P.S. On the map “The Battle of Avdiivka” published earlier on CENSOR.NET, you can see the changes in this section of the front from February 24, 2022 to August 2023.
Cover photo: Vitaliy Barabash, slovoidilo
Tags: avdiivka donetsk oblast russia ukraine war
