Russia-Ukraine war live: dozens of attacks in Avdiivka repelled, says Kyiv, as Russia presses on supply lines
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Russian troops press on town of Avdiivka
Ukraine says its forces have repelled 32 enemy attacks in the town of Avdiivka, dominated by a vast coking plant, Reuters reports.
The head of the military administration in the town, less than 12km from the outskirts of the Moscow-held regional capital of Donetsk, said Russian forces were “pressing on the entire defensive line around the town”.
Ukrainian soldiers walk through Avdiivka, Ukraine. Photograph: Getty Images
“Weather conditions prevent the occupiers from using their vehicles, so they resort to ‘human wave’ assaults, throwing more personnel into battles,” Vitaliy Barabash said.
Moscow’s forces have been inching forward on the flanks to try to cut supply lines.
Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun said Russian forces had suffered heavy losses around the town.He told national television Russian forces had dropped about 450 aerial bombs in the region and were bringing in reserves.
The Russian defence ministry rarely mentions Avdiivka in its reports, but the war blog Rybar said on Friday that battles were raging by the coking plant and near Stepove village north of the city. Rybar acknowledged that the front was all but unchanged.
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It is 10am in Kyiv and we’re are restarting our rolling coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine says its forces have repelled 32 enemy attacks in the town of Avdiivka as Russian troops have been inching forward to try to cut supply lines. The head of the military administration in the town, less than 12km from the outskirts of the Moscow-held regional capital of Donetsk, said Russian forces were “pressing on the entire defensive line around the town”.
More details shortly, in other recent developments:
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