Russia-Ukraine war: Ukraine repelling three-pronged attack on Avdiivka, says UK – as it happened

Ukraine successfully resisting three-pronged attack on Avdiivka, states UK

According to the latest intelligence report from the UK Ministry of Defence, Ukrainian forces are effectively defending against Russian attempts to seize control of Avdiivka.

The report indicates that Russian forces have launched a three-pronged assault on Avdiivka, seeking to encircle the city from multiple directions. However, Ukrainian counter-attacks have halted their progress, preventing them from taking over the eastern quarter of the city.

Despite facing heavy losses in personnel and armored vehicles, Russian forces continue their efforts to infiltrate the city’s edges through service tunnels. This method of infiltration has been ongoing since October 2023. Nevertheless, Ukrainian troops are successfully holding them back from advancing further within Avdiivka.

The report predicts that as long as the main supply route remains intact and Ukrainian forces continue their local counter-attacks, Avdiivka is likely to remain under Ukrainian control in the coming weeks.

While Russian forces have managed to capture the hamlets of Krokhmalne in the Kharkiv oblast and Vesele near Bakhmut in the Donetsk oblast, the UK Ministry of Defence considers these gains strategically insignificant. The report emphasizes that these minor incremental gains align with Russia’s focus on incremental advances while Ukraine prioritizes active defense.