The Russian army is attempting to grind out a victory in eastern Ukraine before winter freezes the frontlines with the main thrust coming at the Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka.
Estimates place the number of Russian losses in the battle for the eastern town, which in the last few weeks has proved to be the main flashpoint for fighting between Ukraine and Russia, so far as high as four thousand Russians have been killed.
In a report of Bakhmut, Russia’s strategy appears to be mass waves of attacks on the outskirts of the town looking to eventually cut off Ukrainian supply lines.
Avdiivka’s Ukrainian defenders have reported inflicting heavy losses on the Russian side though Moscow appears intent on capturing the strategic town.
The town has been hotly contested since the early Donbas war, sitting just north of the Russian separatist-held city of Donetsk.
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Alongside assaults by infantry, Russia has launched heavy bombardments from artillery and aircraft.
The Commander of Ukraine forces in and around Avdiivka, General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi reported on Sunday, November 12 that Russia had launched 30 airstrikes and 712 artillery strikes in the previous day.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has attempted that the situation in Avdiivka is becoming “very intense”.
He said: “Russia is already losing men and equipment near Avdiivka faster and on a larger scale than, for example, near Bakhmut.
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“Withstanding their pressure is extremely difficult … The more Russian forces that are destroyed near Avdiivka, the worse the overall situation will be for the enemy and the overall course of this war.”
From his address, Zelensky’s strategy is for Ukraine to hold on and allow Russia to continue pouring men into Avdiivka in a bid to bleed the Kremlin of manpower, which he hope will mark the end for Putin’s invasion.
Putin is already faced with the issue of mobilisation ahead of the Russian presidential election with any call-ups likely to be damaging at the ballot box.
Russian generals are also under pressure to prove their effectiveness of the offensive having successfully dug in and held the front against Ukraine’ month-long offensive.
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