Ukrainian Troops Face New Russian Offensive in Avdiivka, Gain Ground in Southern Theatre

General Valery Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, shared a video via Telegram, seemingly conferring with officers in Avdiivka and Kupiansk, a town situated further north. In a commentary attached to the video, Zaluzhnyi stated, “The enemy is not relenting in attempts to break through our defences and surround (Avdiivka). The enemy is actively bringing in assault units and large amounts of armoured equipment and using aircraft and artillery.”

Oleksandr Shtupun, the spokesperson for the southern group of Ukrainian forces, revealed on national television that Avdiivka, located about 20 km (12 miles) west of the Russian-held city of Donetsk, is under constant pressure, with Russian forces regrouping and launching new assaults.

Last week, Russian forces subjected Avdiivka to intense attacks, although the shelling had somewhat subsided in recent days. Avdiivka has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, as it successfully withstood Russian-backed separatists in 2014, holding its ground against the invasion. It has endured months of relentless attacks since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Presently, only around 1,600 residents remain out of a pre-war population of 32,000.

Kupiansk, further to the north, was recaptured by Ukrainian troops late last year during a lightning advance through the country’s northeast. However, Russian forces have intensified their attacks in an attempt to retake the town.

Zaluzhniy noted that Ukrainian forces around Kupiansk are “maintaining their defence in the most difficult of conditions.”

According to Russian accounts of the conflict, their forces have destroyed a command point near Avdiivka and repelled 11 Ukrainian attacks near Kupiansk.

Spokesperson Shtupun informed that Ukrainian troops engaged in the ongoing four-month counteroffensive have made progress in the southern theatre. Their objective is to advance towards the Sea of Azov to sever a land bridge connecting Russian positions in the east and south. Shtupun reported that Ukrainian forces have advanced 400 meters (a quarter mile) to the southwest of the village of Verbove in the Zaporizhzhia region.

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Verbove is located just a few kilometres east of Robotyne, a village recaptured by Ukraine last month in their southward push. The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. think tank and non-profit research group, suggested that Ukrainian forces may have successfully breached the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in the southern Kherson region. However, the Kyiv government did not comment on this report.

Last year, when Ukrainian troops reclaimed parts of the Kherson region, Russian forces abandoned its largest city, also called Kherson. Currently, they shell the city from the opposite bank. The situation in the region remains fluid as the conflict continues to unfold.