Ukrainian Armed Forces Colonel Provides Insight On Duration Of Avdiivka Assault

An important date has been announced.

Heavy fighting continues every day on all sides of Avdiivka; the occupiers are not giving up their attempts to capture the town. The active assault will continue until the onset of an important date in the life of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Roman Svitan, a military expert and reserve colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told Channel 24 about this.

How long will the assault on Avdiivka last?

According to the instructor pilot, the Russian army will be especially active in attacking positions near Avdiivka on December 14. Now there are 30-40 enemy attacks every day, which can be implemented with human resources.

Svitan is convinced that the attacks will continue at this level for another week, until Putin announces his participation in the elections and attempts to win a second term.

It is important to add that on December 14, a hotline will take place in Russia, where everyone will supposedly be able to ask Vladimir Putin questions. At the same time, elections in Russia are scheduled for March 17, 2024. This date coincides with the annexation of the Crimea and the 25th anniversary of Putin's rule. It is for these reasons that the occupiers will try to prepare a so-called “information cushion” of victories.

The situation in the Avdiivka direction

Russian occupiers have been actively trying to encircle Avdiivka in the Donetsk region for two months now. During this time, the invaders lost more than 15 thousand of their troops in battles near this town. Speaker for the Tavria Defense Forces Oleksandr Shtupun spoke about this. He noted that fierce fighting continues in this direction.

It is also known that on December 8, the Russian occupiers advanced slightly near Avdiivka, and also captured Ukrainian positions during a surprise assault near Bakhmut. Geolocation footage released on December 5 and 6 shows that Russian troops made little progress east of Stepove (3 km northwest of Avdiivka) and southeast of Avdiivka, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports.

The capture of Avdiivka is not strategically important for the Russians. The Russian president gave the order to the invaders to encircle the town until December 15. However, this decision has a political context. Vladimir Putin set this deadline in order to use this success during a speech 90 days before the announced presidential elections in Russia.