Russian forces attempted to advance in the Vuhledar direction in Donetsk Oblast but were fought off by Ukrainian defenders, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 2.
Moscow's troops suffered heavy losses as a result, including "dozens of vehicles and many killed and wounded," Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel.
Vuhledar, a Ukrainian-held front-line town around 50 kilometers southwest of occupied Donetsk, was the site of a major Russian defeat in early 2023 as attacking forces reportedly lost thousands of soldiers and over 100 armored vehicles.
Ukraine also continues its offensive operations in the south and defensive operations near another Donetsk Oblast's front-line town, Avdiivka, Zelensky said.
Russia intensified its attacks against and around Avdiivka in early October in an attempt to encircle the town. This resulted in heavy Russian losses in both manpower and equipment, Kyiv said.
According to the U.S.-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the situation around Avdiivka illustrates the Russian military command's inability to learn from past mistakes.
Daria Shulzhenko
