Russia would target Selydove after Avdiivka — Ostrov editor-in-chief

Russia's intentions to attack Selydove after Avdiivka are clear, Serhiy Harmash, editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian Ostrov publication, said on Radio NV on Feb. 15.

Read also: Russia kills mother and 9-year-old son, pregnant woman in attack on Donetsk Oblast hospital

"If the situation in Avdiivka worsens and the frontline continues to shift, then it is obvious that the next city [that Russia will try to capture] will be Selydove," Harmash said.

He expressed concern about the changing nature of Russian shelling in the city.

"If a few days ago I was sure that they were still targeting military objectives, or at least areas where they believe our military is, given the city's frontline status, nw I have the impression that they have adopted scorched-earth tactics. Indeed, there are a lot of hits on non-military targets," Harmash said.

Read also: Military expert on situation in Avdiivka and how it might develop – interview

Russia launched attacks on civilian infrastructure in Selydove, Donetsk Oblast, including a hospital and a five-story apartment block, on Feb. 14.

Russia has been spreading fakes about the "big losses" of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Selydove, Tavria operational group Commander Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said on Feb. 13.

Read also: Battles for besieged Avdiivka ‘many times more hellish’ than Bakhmut, 3rd Assault Brigade says

A training ground near Selydove was supposedly targeted, Russian propagandists claimed, resulting in "about one and a half thousand people died." This turned out to be yet another Russian fake.

The fighting in Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, where additional units have redeployed as reinforcements, is many times more difficult than previous battles for Bakhmut, the Deputy Commander of the Third Separate Assault Brigade, Major Maksym Zhorin, said on Feb. 15.

The Third Brigade is performing combat missions in conditions "that even we could hardly imagine." The soldiers are facing "not just superior forces" of the Russian army, but their numbers are "huge" and Russian forces are "pushing from all sides."

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine