Russian troops started to use a new tactic during their assault on Avdiivka in the Donetsk Oblast (eastern Ukraine), according to Anton Kotsukon, the spox for the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine’s Armed Forces that defends Avdiivka.
According to Anton Kotsukon, Russian invaders are digging tunnels to approach Ukrainian positions without being seen by Ukrainian reconnaissance drones and soldiers.
“In the Avdiivka direction, the Russians began to use new tactics. They are digging tunnels closer to our positions. First, it helps them in terms of camouflage. Secondly, they do this to suddenly emerge closer to our positions,” Anton Kotsukon said.
Furthermore, Kotsukon said that Ukrainian recon drone operators filmed the use of robotic vehicles by the Russians, which act as remote-controlled transport vehicles, bringing ammunition. According to Kotsukon, these specialized vehicles are “quite large” and can carry relatively heavy loads.
The spokesman for the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade added that Russians have a lot of resources near Avdiivka and continue the offensive, trying to encircle the Ukrainian stronghold.
“They have enough resources; very fierce battles are going on every day. New forces are being sent to the assault: personnel and armored vehicles, aviation, and artillery,” Kotsukon said.
Avdiivka is located about ten kilometers north of Russian-occupied Donetsk City, an important logistics hub of the Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian army has been trying to break through Ukrainian fortifications and occupy Avdiivka, albeit with little success.
On 10 October, the Russian army mounted a massive onslaught on Avdiivka from several directions. The Ukrainians still control 100 percent of Avdiivka and vital commanding heights around it, despite Russian attempts to advance southwest and northeast of the city.
Once a city of 32,000 residents, Avdiivka became a ghost town after Russia launched an all-out war against Ukraine. Most people have already left the city, fleeing indiscriminate Russian shelling. In August 2022, the population of Avdiivka was estimated at 2,500 people. Now, it is about 1,600 civilians left in the city, ruined by Russian air strikes and artillery fire.
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