Russia seeks to achieve success on Avdiivka front before second anniversary of Russian full-scale invasion

Dmytro Lykhovii, the spokesman for the Tavriia Operational Strategic Group, said that the Russian military is probably trying to achieve some success on the Avdiivka front before 23 and 24 February, the Russian Defender of the Fatherland Day and the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion, respectively.

Source: Dmytro Lykhovii on air of the national joint 24/7 newscast

Quote: "Now, the main events in our operating zone are taking place on the Avdiivka front, specifically in Donetsk Oblast. Because in Avdiivka, the enemy has regrouped and included some new units for reinforcement. There are also reinforcements on our part. 

Yesterday, they repelled 19 attacks near the villages of Stepove, Lastochkine, Sieverne, Pervomaiske and Nevelske, where the enemy wants to make some progress, possibly before the big dates in the calendar associated with 23 February [Defender of the Fatherland Day in Russia – ed.] and the tragic date for all of us on 24 February. They’re ramping up their attacks there."

Details: Lykhovii added that Russia also tried 14 times to break through the defences of Ukrainian troops on the Marinka front.

Background:

• On 9 February, defenders of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade posted a video of combat in a dacha cooperative in Avdiivka; the fighters broke through the Russian battle formations [A dacha is a sort of a summer house, usually with a little plot of land where people grow vegetables, fruit trees and berries, or keep a garden; a cooperative dacha community is an association of persons, each of whom has a dacha plot within the same territory – ed.].
• The 47th Separate Mechanised Brigade reported that the soldiers of their 25th Separate assault battalion were the last to leave the Avdiivka coke plant and didn't suffer any losses.
• On 17 February, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported the withdrawal of Ukrainian units from Avdiivka.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia's losses in Avdiivka were seven times higher than Ukraine's.

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