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After their victory in Avdeevka, Russian forces destroyed the first line of Ukrainian defense in the villages of Petrovskoe (Stepovoe) – Lastochkino – Severnoe and continue their advance to the west. As a result of their offensive, Russian forces are already storming the second line of Ukrainian defense in the villages of Berdychi-Semenovka-Orlovka-Tonenkoe.
To the north-west of Avdeevka, Russian forces recently took control of Petrovskoe. The village is located in the lowlands. That’s why the Russian military does not accumulate a large forces there to launch the further assault on Berdychi. At the moment, Russian artillery and aircraft are pounding the villages of Berdychi and Semenovka, where the AFU attempt to strengthen their defense.
The first Abrams tank came under Russian fire near Berdychi:
On February 26, the Russian Ministry of Defense officially confirmed the full Russian control of the village of Lastochkino. The Ukrainian military also confirmed the retreat from the settlement, despite the cheerful claims of the Ukrainian military officials a day before. Ukrainian defeat in Lastochino was no longer possible to hide. LINK
After the Russian military completed the mop up operation in Lastochkino, they launched assault on the main Ukrainian stronghold of the AFU west of Avdeevka – the village of Orlovka. Both Russian and Ukrainian sources confirm clashes near the lakes on the eastern outskirts of the village. Amid the devastating airstrikes and artillery fire, Russian assault groups advanced along the highway and broke through Ukrainian defense near the village. The battles are ongoing along Brativ Paukova street.
At the same time, Russian forces launched attacks from the south-western outskirts of Lastochkino towards Tonenkoe and expanded the zone of their control in the fields. After Russian forces took control of Severnoe, they also managed to expand the zone of their control in the fields south of Tonenkoe, as well as launch their assault on the village from the east. As a result of the fast Russian advance, the village of Tonenkoe may soon be encircled from three directions. Clashes are already reported on its southern and eastern outskirts.
Ukrainian tank destroyed near Tonenkoe:
The second line of Ukrainian defense is the much better fortified and is more difficult to break through, but the pace of Russian advance in the region may mark the unreadiness of the Ukrainian military to fiercely fight for the villages, especially after their morale was destroyed by the defeat in Avdeevka. After the loss of Avdeevka, the Ukrainian army is still failing to align the frontline. The ‘planned withdrawal’ from the city leads to the same bloody retreat from other settlements in the region. This second line of Ukrainian defense may become the last one, since there are no further heavily fortified defensive lines in the field areas to the west.
