russia needs to capture Avdiivka to be able to launch offensive on Vuhledar – Ukraine's defense forces
The city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region is strategically important for the russian army, as after its capture, it will be possible to start assault operations in the Vuhledar area.
Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi, the head of the joint press office of the Armed Forces of the Tavria front, said this on the air of a nationwide telethon, Ukrinform reports.
"Today, the enemy continues active actions, storming Avdiivka and Mariinka. Avdiivka is strategic for them at this time to start some assault actions in the Vuhledar area.
The enemy has already suffered heavy losses there more than once. They urgently need to surround Avdiivka, and the enemy has been trying to do this for two weeks, as a matter of fact," Dmytrashkivskyi informed.
The head of the joint press office of the Armed Forces of the Tavria front said there is a noticeable decline in russian activity in the direction of Vuhledar.
"Instead, the enemy continues to shell our positions. Yesterday during the day, russians attacked 37 times. At night, the enemy rushed to four assaults and 122 shellings.
Yesterday, the enemy lost about three companies of personnel, 15 units of tanks, and nine units of armored infantry vehicles and other equipment in the total number of 46 units," the spokesman said.
Dmytroshkivskyi emphasized that all this equipment was actually destroyed in the area of Spartak and Vodianyi – it was the direction where the russian federation conducted active military operations on Saturday.
The speaker was asked to what extent attempts to encircle Avdiivka exhaust the enemy. Dmitrashkivskyi said that russia would suffer severe losses of both personnel and equipment.
"It became known that today they are gathering personnel there, recalling the sick and sending them to the direction of Vuhledar. So far, everything has been unsuccessful.
We have certain achievements. There is a positional struggle – sometimes the enemy will take a particular position, then we will fight back and take a position somewhere," Dmytrashkivskyi said.
The spokesman said that the enemy was quite exhausted.
"The main issue is the supply of equipment and weapons to Ukraine by our Western partners so that a proper counteroffensive can be carried out," he believes.
For reference:
As Rubryka reported, from February 24, 2022, to March 19, 2023, the Defense Forces of Ukraine eliminated about 164 910 russian soldiers, 710 of them in the past 24 hours.
It should be noted that on March 18, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 83 enemy attacks in 5 directions, and Ukraine's aircraft made ten strikes on areas where the occupiers were concentrated.
