Ukraine’s forces repel Russian attacks near Avdiivka as Putin’s troops launch new offensive

Ukrainian soldiers successfully repelled attacks along the war frontline at Avdiivka on Tuesday as a new offensive from Russian soldiers erupted near the eastern Ukraine town, officials said. “I can add that our defenders on the Avdiivka front repelled all the attacks of the enemy, no losses of lines and positions were sustained,” colonel Oleksandr Shtupun, the spokesperson of the joint press centre of defence forces, said. He confirmed an escalation of Russian military offensive actions on the same front. He said Ukrainian forces repelled attacks in Keramika, Ocheretyne, Berdychiv, Stepove, Lastochkyne, Tonenke, Avdiivka, and Pervomaiske in Donetsk oblast. Around three Russian battalions launched a ground assault on Monday on the eastern town which remained one of the most heavily fortified areas of Donetsk oblast, officials in Ukraine confirmed. "The invaders also launched air strikes near Berdychiv and Avdiivka. From the morning till now, the civilian infrastructure of Avdiivka and the settlements in the Pokrovske district around it are periodically shelled. Avdiivka was bombarded from tubed artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems,” he said in a national telecast. Ukrainian officials have confirmed that they view Russian attacks along the Andiivka and Donetsk city as active enemy efforts to prevent them from moving forces to Zaporizhzhia. In fresh signs of escalation, Russian tanks and armoured personnel were also seen moving towards Ukrainian lines which were backed by air strikes around 5am on Tuesday morning, reported Kyiv Post citing multiple sources. According to the Ukraine’s general staff of the Armed Forces, Russia targeted more than 130 settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblast with artillery fire. It added that Ukrainian defence forces saw success in the areas east of Klishchiivka and Andriivka. The defence by Kyiv’s troops continued in the south of Bakhmut in Donetsk oblast. In the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Air Force carried out 11 air strikes on Russian positions of concentration of troops, weapons and military equipment and nine air strikes on the anti-aircraft missile system used by Russia. A Russian Su-25 fighter jet and seven drones were also shot down, along with successful attacks on Russian ammunition depot, command post, artillery systems among other critical Russian infrastructure, the general staff said in the latest war update on Wednesday. According to the Russian military bloggers, Moscow’s actions in the Avdiivka area operations were aimed at capturing the city Ukraine took back just last month, the Institute for the Study of War said. They claimed Russian forces wanted to encircle Ukrainian troops. “A successful encirclement of Avdiivka – one of the most heavily fortified areas of the Donetsk Oblast front line – would very likely require more forces than Russia has currently dedicated to the Avdiivka-Donetsk City effort,” it said in its latest assessment. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Moscow fails in bid to return to UN’s top human rights body Russia will only resume nuclear tests if the US does it first, a top Russian diplomat says Ukraine's Zelenskyy visits neighboring Romania to discuss security and boost ties Russia faces a tough fight to regain its seat in the UN's top human rights body