Ukrainian troops hold ground in Avdiivka despite Russian intensified offensive

Ukrainian forces are repelling large-scale Russian attacks near Avdiivka, while the city and its outskirts have been under enemy fire for three days, says head of the local military administration Vitalii Barabash.

Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have redirected large numbers of troops and equipment to Avdiivka after months of besieging it.

The fighting around the city has been going on for three days now, with shelling both behind the positions and in the city itself, he said.

Barabash noted that last night was "less calm," as the enemy's shelling of Avdiivka was not as intense as before.

At 2:55 a.m., Russian troops conducted an airstrike on the local government quarter. About 20 Russian missiles were hitting the territory of the community. A residential high-rise building was destroyed, and an 85-year-old man was killed. Among the wounded are a 69-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman.

Russian troops are also constantly shelling Avdiivka Coke Plant with artillery, Europe's largest chemical facility. 

Barabash calls these intensified hostile attacks on the city the largest offensive against Avdiivka since the beginning of Russia's war in 2014.

Ukrainian forces were able to repel all enemy attacks around Avdiivka and held all their positions. Russian troops did not use military equipment, and most of the assault actions were carried out with the use of infantry alone.

They brought troops, landed them in groups of 20-30 people. They were simultaneously moving in 10-12 directions, in different directions to our line. Watching the military's video, they were like cockroaches trying to find a gap somewhere, Barabash described the situation.

Russian accounts also indicate the fighting has intensified around Avdiivka as Moscow pushes back on the eastern front, more than four months after Kyiv began a counteroffensive in the east and south.