Russian forces have continued to make steady advances northwest of the captured fortress city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine after breaking through the fortified defensive lines of the Ukrainian forces in the area.
Moscow’s troops, who took control of Avdiivka on February 17, recently advanced further northwest of the embattled city and reportedly made additional gains on May 1, the Institute for the Study of War, a U.S.-based think tank, said in its latest analysis of the conflict in Ukraine on Wednesday.
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The recent advancements by Russian forces in parts of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region come as Kyiv suffers from shortages of ammunition and equipment. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been appealing to his Western allies to provide additional support, saying that his troops are being hindered by low supplies of shells.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email for comment.
Agentstvo, a Russian investigative site, reported on Wednesday that Russia captured the sixth settlement in the Donetsk region in a week. Moscow was able to increase the pace of its offensive in the area because its forces penetrated through Ukraine’s fortified defensive lines.
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The ISW said geolocated footage published on Wednesday shows that Russian forces advanced southwest and west of Solovyove, located northwest of Avdiivka.
“Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces, including elements of the 55th Motorized Rifle Brigade (41st Combined Arms Army [CAA], Central Military District [CMD]), advanced further in the area toward Sokil (west of Solovyove and northwest of Avdiivka),” the ISW said.
The think tank added that Russian milbloggers said Moscow’s forces recently broke through Ukrainian defenses northeast of Ocheretyne, located northwest of Avdiivka. The Russians have been operating within southern Arkhanhelske, which is north of Avdiivka, for the past two days.
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“Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces advanced in fields southwest and northwest of Ocheretyne, west of Novokalynove (north of Avdiivka), northwest of Keramik (north of Avdiivka), and east of Novooleksandrivka (northwest of Avdiivka and Ocheretyne),” the ISW said.
The think tank added: “Fighting also continued north of Avdiivka near Kalynove; northwest of Avdiivka near Prohres, Novopokrovske, and Berdychi; west of Avdiivka near Semenivka, Umanske, and Yasnobrodivka; and southwest of Avdiivka near Netaylove.”
Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Sunday that the situation on the front line in Ukraine has worsened and his forces had withdrawn from positions in the Donetsk region.
Russia has secured “tactical successes in some sectors,” Syrskyi added on Telegram.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday told reporters during a press conference with Zelensky that it was “not too late” for Ukraine to win the ongoing war.
“Ukraine has been outgunned for months—forced to ration its ammunition. This means that fewer Russian missiles and drones have been shot down. And Russia has been able to push forward along the front line,” he said.
“But it is not too late for Ukraine to prevail. More support is on the way,” Stoltenberg added.
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