Russian armed forces require a period of rest and refit after seizing Avdiivka, following months of their meat-wave assaults to gain control of the city in Donetsk Oblast, says the UK Intelligence in their latest report.
On 18 February, the Ukrainian commander of the operational and strategic grouping of troops “Tavria,” Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, said that the Russian army lost almost 50,000 soldiers and over 1,300 units of military equipment during the active phase of fighting for Avdiivka since 10 October 2023.
At the cost of immense losses in daily frontal attacks around the city and constant bombardments of Avdiivka, the Russians managed to destroy most of its buildings and force Ukrainian troops to retreat, as previously happened in Bakhmut.
“It’s likely that Russian forces lack the combat effectiveness to exploit the capture of Avdiivka immediately and will require a period of rest,” the report says.
According to the UK Intelligence, Russia will likely seek to gradually extend its territorial control beyond Avdiivka in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, Kyiv accused the Russian troops of executing wounded Ukrainian soldiers trapped at Zenit, the key defense position in the south of Avdiivka, despite promising evacuation and subsequent prisoner-of-war exchanges.
Read also:
- Tarnavskyi: Russian forces lost almost 50,000 soldiers in 4 months of fighting for Avdiivka
- Why Avdiivka fell to Russia
- Commander: Ukrainian troops withdrew from Avdiivka
