White House says Russian new offensive in eastern Ukraine hasn't made much progress

Russia's "renewed offensive" in eastern Ukraine hasn't made much progress despite the Russian military bringing back its infamous "human wave" tactics, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Oct. 13, as cited by Politico.

Kirby described the tactics as throwing "masses of poorly trained soldiers right into the battlefield without proper equipment, and apparently without proper training and preparation."

His statement comes three days after Russia launched a heavy assault against Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast, deploying over 2,000 soldiers to the area, according to the Ukrainian military.

Avdiivka has stood on the front lines since the very start of Russia's war in 2014, but the new Russian offensive occurred after months of comparatively static siege.

According to the Insider media outlet, Kirby also said that Russia "continues to show no regard for the lives of its own soldiers, willingly sacrificing them in pursuit of Putin's goals, while Ukraine continues to fight bravely, effectively, and smartly."

However, Moscow's decision to resume "human wave" tactics is "a sobering reminder that Russia is not prepared to give up on this fight," the White House official added. "And as long as Russia continues its brutal assault on Ukraine, the United States must support the Ukrainian peoples' ability to defend themselves."

In their Oct. 13 report, the Institute for the Study of War also reported that Russian forces faced a number of "setbacks" in their Avdiivka offensive as Ukrainian soldiers in the area continued to repel Russian attacks, using minefields to hinder Russian advances toward the city.

A day before, the ISW said that Russian troops had captured 4.5 square kilometers of territory from different directions around Avdiivka since Oct. 10.