Ongoing fighting in Avdiivka described by a combat veteran Yevhen Dykyi
The current situation in Avdiivka and surrounding areas was explained by a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war and former Aidar battalion company commander, Yevhen Dykyi in an interview with Radio NV on Jan. 25.
"The coke plant is our stronghold there now,” said Dykyi.
“The Avdiivka Coke Plant is like Azovstal in Mariupol. It was built according to Soviet standards, when the plant was initially designed partly as a fortress, with underground floors and strong concrete floors. There are even buildings that can withstand direct hits from KAB-500 air bombs.”
The former commander explained that the Ukrainian military is now entrenched at the Avdiivka Coke Plant, and the Avdiivka industrial zone has become a no man’s land, "from where our troops have long since withdrawn. The Russians still cannot gain a foothold there."
As Dykyi explained, Avdiivka has become “is an absolutely horrible, terrible meat grinder. It is, of course, very difficult for our defenders inside this meat grinder. But the ratio of losses there is about one to ten. Therefore, from the point of view of the terrible, absolutely inhumane arithmetic of war, holding Avdiivka is currently beneficial for us.”
Read also: Ukrainian forces report temporary decrease in intensity of fighting near Avdiivka
He also said that, about a week ago, the Russians managed to advance into the former residential area in Avdiivka, but the Ukrainian military repelled them.
"On Jan. 24 [the Russians] were kicked out of there, our fighters regained their positions.”
Dykyi also clarified that the Ukrainian Armed Forces not only regained their positions, but also managed to create a more advantageous tactical position.
He said that Russian troops are reporting that they are now trapped in a bottleneck.
“Let's see if we can cut off this bottleneck,” said Dykyi.
“The meat grinder continues to work. And it will continue to work as long as Orlivka [a village near Avdiivka] is held. This is the village through which the main highway to Avdiivka Coke Plant goes. It is used to bring in ammunition and evacuate the wounded. And this route is still under our control.”
On Jan. 25, the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that Russian forces had recently focused their offensive operations on the southern residential area of Avdiivka and achieved very limited success there.
In addition, the occupiers continue to advance on the northern and southern flanks of Avdiivka, but the pace of the offensive is much slower than during the first waves of attacks in the fall of 2023.
The overall pace of Russian offensive operations suggests that Russian forces now prefer a block-to-block push through Avdiivka from the southern residential area of the city instead of attempting to encircle it.
Veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, reserve major Oleksii Hetman told Radio NV on Jan. 24 that the Armed Forces are effectively destroying enemy manpower and equipment in Avdiivka, with Russian losses being significantly higher and the loss ratio being one to 10.
Russian troops intensified their offensive on Avdiivka in October 2023, along with massive strikes on the city.
Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi stated that the aggressor country had lost about 10 thousand soldiers in one month of active assaults on Avdiivka.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
