War in Ukraine: Russian attack on Avdiivka attacked “from all sides”

There is fighting in Avdeyka, Ukraine. The Russian army has launched its third wave of offensives against the eastern city since October 10. This Friday they are systematically bombing the city center, explains Mayor Vitaly Barabakh.

For more than a month now, this industrial city, almost surrounded but still served by a paved road, has been under constant attack from Moscow. They’ve been trying to get it for years.

“The third wave (attacks) has already begun,” the mayor said. It reports attacks “from all sides”: from the southern and northern flanks, along the industrial zone, and also from Spartak, a village located between Avdeevka and Donetsk, the capital of the Russian-occupied region of the same name. The Russians are particularly keen to seize the coke plant, which Ukraine says it considers strategic.

Use of cluster munitions

Avdiivka briefly fell into the hands of pro-Russian separatists armed by Moscow in July 2014 before returning to Ukrainian control. Since then, this virtually destroyed city marks the front line in the area and has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.

Troops in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, were entrenched behind powerful fortifications. They’ve had to pull back a bit over the past month, but the defense seems to be holding up for now. “There are from 30 to 40 mass strikes a day in the city,” said Vitaly Barabakh.

The Russian military uses guided bombs and has recently begun using cluster munitions, a controversial weapon that randomly scatters smaller explosives over a wide area, the adviser said. Rybar’s Telegram account, which is close to the Russian army and widely followed, also claims that Moscow soldiers have begun using this type of weapon, which “will allow us to suppress enemy advances with even greater success.”

According to Vitaly Barabach, in Avdeevka, despite the fighting and bombing, about 1,350 people still live, and before the war about 30 thousand people lived in the city.

After nearly six weeks of Russian attack, Ukraine insists its forces are holding firm. He claims to have inflicted very significant losses on Russian troops.