Ukraine said on Friday that it was sending more reinforcements to the frontline city of Avdiivka, a main target for Moscow, ahead of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion.
“It was difficult there (in Bakhmut), but now it is extremely difficult,” said the spokesman of the 3rd Assault Brigade, Oleksandr Borodin, adding that the Avdiivka fight was comparatively “more difficult” because Russian forces are now better equipped.
A Russian victory in Avdiivka would be the most significant territorial gain for Moscow since it seized Bakhmut last May after months of bloody fighting.
“Fierce battles are taking place within the city,” Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, a Ukrainian general in the east, said on social media on Friday.
Online maps of troop movements prepared by military bloggers close to both the Ukrainian and Russian armies showed Russian forces closing in on Avdiivka, taking over positions held by Ukrainian forces the day before.
“New positions have been prepared, and powerful fortifications continue to be prepared, taking into account all possible scenarios,” Tarnavskiy said.
He called the situation in Avdiivka “difficult but controlled” and said commanders have been tasked with stabilizing the situation.
‘At risk of falling’
The fate of Avdiivka has also drawn concern in Washington, Ukraine’s key backer.
“Avdiivka is at risk of falling into Russian control,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Thursday.
Democratic President Joe Biden and the Republican-led House are at an impasse over a White House request for $60 billion in military aid to help Ukraine’s defense as the Russian invasion enters its third year.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg had warned on Thursday that the delay was already limiting Ukraine’s battlefield capacity.
On top of the US aid hold-up, the European Union has admitted that it will only be able to send half of the one million artillery shells it had originally promised would be dispatched by March.
With AFP
