Vitaliy Barabash, head of the military administration in Avdiivka, confirmed during a televised broadcast that Russian forces are encroaching on the city's outskirts.
Barabash described the situation as highly challenging, with Russian troops attempting to encircle the city from the south and north flanks.
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“The enemy is still trying to cut off the coke plant from the city through the country massif, and he is pressing there very powerfully,” Barabash said.
He acknowledged that Russian forces have entered the outskirts of Avdiivka and are present in the city's private sector. However, Barabash said that Ukrainian troops are successfully repelling them.
“The enemy's forces are many times greater. Sometimes, I read on Telegram channels that 'Avdiivka has already fallen.' There is no such thing,” he reported.
Dispelling rumors of the city's fall, Barabash condemned such speculation as disrespectful to Ukrainian forces.
“The point of ‘everything is lost’ and ‘no way back’ is still very far,” he said.
Despite ongoing hostilities and shelling, 935 residents remain in Avdiivka, complicating evacuation efforts. Six people were evacuated yesterday.
The coke plant continues to serve as a crucial stronghold in the city's defense.
Recent satellite images reported by the Institute for the Study of War show a slight advance of Russian troops in the southern part of Avdiivka.
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They showed a slight advance of Russian troops on the streets in the southern part of Avdiivka.
According to a Russian military blogger, the troops advanced 300 meters along a 500-meter-wide front encompassing Chernyshevskogo, Sportivna, and Soborna streets.
Earlier this week, Barabash warned that Russia is once again escalating its months-long effort to capture Avdiivka and is now storming the frontlines “in all directions” using “huge forces.”
Speaking to state media, Vitaly Barabash said: “There is not a single part of our city that is more or less calm.”
Moscow launched a costly bid in October to seize the town, which has been embroiled in fighting since 2014 when it briefly fell to Moscow-backed separatists.
Known as the 'gateway to Donetsk,' the city holds strategic importance. According to Ukrainian forces, the Russians have suffered significant losses, with tens of thousands of soldiers killed in the battles for Avdiivka.
The capture of Avdiivka would provide a much-needed victory for Russia, particularly in the lead-up to the second anniversary of its full-scale invasion and the upcoming March presidential election.
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