Will the Ukrainian army retreat from Avdiivka?

The battle for Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast is a bloodbath. The city, which is also called the ‘gateway to Donetsk’, is semi-surrounded. Some 50,000 Russian troops are trying to advance from three sides while they keep the main supply route into the city under artillery fire. At least 15 per cent of Avdiivka has been captured – and battles are being fought in urban areas. ‘We are forced to fight at 360 degrees against more and more brigades that the enemy is bringing in,’ said Andriy Biletskyi, commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade, which was deployed to rescue Avdiivka last week.

Russia has sufficient manpower and artillery superiority, so its army is less keen on sending wave after wave of poorly trained troops into battle. Instead, it is deploying assault groups supported by tanks, armoured vehicles and aviation. Russian units are trying to seize the Industrial Prospekt road – the Ukrainian army’s vital logistical artery – to split the city in two.