The Russian military has faced “colossal losses” near the towns of Avdiivka and Marinka in Donetsk Oblast in recent days, losing around two companies of servicemen, or up to 400 soldiers, there each day, Ukrainian military spokeseperson Oleksii Dmytrashkovskyi said on April 9.

According to him, the Russian army still refuses to "give up hope” for a successful offensive in the area.

Dmytrashkovskyi added that Russian prisoners of war complained of being thrown into battle by “not sober enough commanders and without any training,” raising military personnel in the middle of the night, at gunpoint and forcing them to attack the Ukrainian army.

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In mid-March, Russia made noticeable gains around Avdiivka, with Dmytrashovskyi warning at the time that the city could become a "second Bakhmut."

Since then, Ukraine has stabilized the front line in the area and halted further Russian advances.

As of April 9,  Russia had lost more than 178,000 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24 last year, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.

Surviving Avdiivka: Russia intensifies assault on city deemed a ‘second Bakhmut’

AVDIIVKA, Donetsk Oblast – Avdiivka is an eerie city to drive into in March 2023. One year into Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, but nine years into the Donbas war, the compact city just 10 kilometers from the center of occupied Donetsk is barely holding on. There is little choice

Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell