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In the south of Avdeevka, Russian infantry, supported by tanks and aircraft, broke through a powerful stronghold of Ukrainian defense. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) were repelled from large strongholds in the forests near the Tsarskaya Okhota hotel complex, where fighting had been ongoing for many months. The Russian advance did not stop there.
Russian troops continue offensive on the streets of Avdeevka. Assault detachments of the Russian Armed Forces crossed Chernyshevsky and Sportivnaya Streets and the building of the Avdeevsky Youth Union. Russian troops have already gained a foothold in the houses on Sobornaya Street.
During the assault on two company strongholds of the AFU, Russian servicemen destroyed Georgian and Polish mercenaries as wll as soldiers of the separate Kiev regiment of the President of Ukraine Bogdan Khmelnitsky (military unit A-0222). Elite special forces were deployed to plug the holes in the defense, but without success. Half of the elite personnel surrendered.
The AFU attempted several counterattacks, trying to push Russian fighters out from the city but without any success.
As a result of the Russian advance, Ukrainian troops are forced to retreat deep into the city. In particular, the AFU retreated west of Hrushevsky Street which is leading to the city center.
In the area of Sportivnaya Street, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are building new line of defense near the railway. The Ukrainian military equips firing positions in private houses, between which trenches run in the courtyards. This tactic will inevitably lead to the destruction of the city into ruins.
The Russian command apparently expects to reach the Khimik microdistrict in the south from the south-east of the city in an attempt to cut off a significant part of the Ukrainian defense. The strategic goal of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is to cover the entire Ukrainian stronghold in Avdeevka from the flanks and destroy the Ukrainian grouping.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports on the ongoing attempts of the Russian army to surround the city. According to the Ukrainian command, over the past day, the Russian military conducted 17 attacks: 5 attacks at Novobakhmutovka, Stepovoye, Avdeevka and 12 more attacks south of Severny, Pervomaisky and Nevelsky.
The liberation of Avdeevka is strategically important. It will also allow to stop the ongoing attacks on the civilian population and infrastructure in Donetsk.
