Russian troops are preparing to assault Europe’s largest coke plant in Avdiivka – ISW

The Institute for Study of War reported that Russian invaders crossed the railway line near Stepove (3 km north of Avdiivka) and are preparing to attack the Avdiivka Coke Plant in the north from these newly seized positions.

Russian military bloggers claimed that troops approached the Avdiivka Coke Plant on November 1. One reported that Russian troops launched combined missile and air strikes on the plant, but Ukrainian air defense prevented them from launching powerful strikes on the area.

On November 2, Russian troops continued their offensive in the Avdiivka area but achieved no confirmed success.

Ukraine's General Staff reported that troops continued to hold back the Russian offensive near Avdiivka and repelled the Russian offensive near Sieverne (6 km west of Avdiivka), Tonenke (8 km west of Avdiivka) and Pervomayske (11 km southwest of Avdiivka).

Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun, spokesman for the Ukrainian Southern group of troops, said that Russian troops are attacking mainly with small groups of infantry.

Shtupun said that the pace of Russian military operations near Avdiivka is slowing down as enemy forces are regrouping and requesting reinforcements.

The head of the Avdiivka city military administration Vitalii Barabash said that Russian troops are concentrating their efforts on the northern flank and are conducting consistent assault operations despite heavy rains in the area.

A Ukrainian military observer also stated that Russian troops are expanding their control over positions near Opytne (4 km south of Avdiivka). A prominent Russian military blogger claimed that Russian troops had moved closer to the southwestern outskirts of Avdiivka and up to one kilometer from Severne, although ISW found no visual evidence of these claims.

Ukrainian forces did not conduct any claimed or confirmed counterattacks in the Avdiivka area on November 2.

Ukrainian troops continued their counteroffensive near Bakhmut. Geolocation footage released on November 1 shows that Ukrainian forces have advanced further northeast of the railroad tracks in the area of Klishchiiivka (7 km southwest of Bakhmut).

On November 2, Russian troops continued their offensive on the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line and made minor advances in the Kupiansk direction.

Russian sources claimed that on November 2, Ukrainian forces conducted localized attacks on the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line but did not advance.

Key takeaways from the ISW report

• Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted a missile strike on the Russian "Dnepr" Grouping of Forces headquarters in Kherson Oblast on November 1.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Bakhmut and continued offensive operations in western Zaporizhia Oblast on November 2.
• The Russian information space's reaction to Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Valerii Zaluzhnyi's November 1 interview and essay about the current operational environment in Ukraine was relatively muted.
• South Korean officials reported that North Korea is reportedly increasing its weapons and ammunition transfers to Russia and has reportedly delivered more than one million artillery rounds to date.
• Russian forces conducted offensive operations along the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, near Avdiivka, west and southwest of Donetsk City, in the western Donetsk-eastern Zaporizhzhia region border area, and western Zaporizhzhia region and advanced in some areas.
• Russian irregular forces are continuing to form new assault detachments and are incentivizing recruitment by offering recruits semi-independence from the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD).
• Recent Russian border restrictions are reportedly complicating the return of Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia