Commander: Russia increasingly deploys armored groups to storm Avdiivka

To storm Donetsk Oblast’s Avdiivka, Russia is increasingly deploying armored groups alongside its assault infantry groups, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of Ukraine's Tavria group fighting on the southeastern front lines, reported on Feb. 11.

"But Ukrainian soldiers steadfastly maintain their defense. They actively destroy the Russian aggressor and capture the fresh forces that have entered the battle," Tarnavskyi wrote on Telegram.

Avdiivka, lying only kilometers away from Russian-occupied Donetsk, has suffered intensified Russian attacks since October 2023 as Moscow's troops aim to encircle and capture the city.

The situation in the area "remains tense but controlled," Tarnavskyi said, adding that Russia’s goal to capture Avdiivka and Novomykhailivka and the territories they lost last summer has not changed.

According to Tarnavskyi, Russia lost 458 troops, 25 units of various military equipment, and 139 drones over the past day.

At the same time, the Russian military also launched 25 airstrikes and two missile strikes, as well as 57 assaults, Tarnavskyi said.

The Tavria group of Ukraine's military is fighting in some of the hottest spots on the front, including the ongoing battle for Avdiivka.

Fate of Avdiivka uncertain as Ukrainian forces defending it struggle with fortifications, resources

As artillery began pounding the cold-hardened ground ahead of them, two Ukrainian soldiers listened warily to shell impacts creep closer. They were squeezed together in a roughly dug hole no deeper than half a meter, in a meager defensive position on the front line north of Avdiivk…

The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima