Ukrainian forces rapidly destroy Russian armored vehicles near Avdiivka – ISW

Ukrainian forces on the Avdiivka front are actively destroying the armored vehicles that Russian troops use to support their infantry in the eastern Donetsk region. 

According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian forces lost 41 armored vehicles on this front line in three days, Rubryka reports. 

The ISW analysts reveal that the recent geolocation images from January 17 show that Russian forces advanced confirmedly to the southwest of Avdiivka.

Commander of the Tavria Grouping of Ukrainian forces, Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, stated on January 18 that the Russian troops likely employ armored vehicles to support and deploy infantry on the Avdiivka front. This tactical approach has resulted in the loss of 41 armored vehicles, including 17 tanks, over the last three days.

Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun, the spokesperson for the Tavria Grouping, noted that Russian forces typically use one or two tanks, several armored personnel carriers, and MT-LBs (tracked armored vehicles) to transport infantry before a swift withdrawal. Afterward, Ukrainian forces strike the armored vehicles.

According to both Russian and Ukrainian sources, positional battles are ongoing:

• To the northwest of Avdiivka near Stepove, Novokalynove, and Novobakhmutivka.
• Near the coking plant to the northwest of Avdiivka and the industrial zone to the southeast of Avdiivka.
• To the west of Avdiivka near Severne and the southwest of Avdiivka near Pervomaiske and Nevelske.

Key ISW findings as of January 18:

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that Russia's maximalist goals in Ukraine remain unchanged, and Russia is not interested in negotiations with Ukraine or the West.
• The battlefield in Ukraine continues to be a center of technological competition between Russian and Ukrainian forces in both offense and defense.
• Recent widespread GPS disruptions in Poland and the Baltic region raise suspicions about potential Russian EW (Electronic Warfare) operations in this region.
• The French Ministry of Defense announced on January 18 the creation of an "artillery coalition" to enhance support for Ukraine amidst Ukraine's regular statements about Russian forces having superior artillery capabilities.
• Ukrainian partisans and satellite images confirmed that Ukrainian strikes on occupied Crimea in late December 2023 sank the Russian "Tarantul" corvette near Sevastopol.
• The Ukrainian Defense Intelligence reported a successful drone strike on Russian military facilities in the Leningrad Oblast, Russia, on January 18.
• The EU Parliament voted in favor of another step in the rule-of-law procedure, which could lead to suspending Hungary's voting rights after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vetoed the EU vote on further military aid to Ukraine.
• Russia and the Central African Republic are negotiating to base Russian troops in the CAR.
• Russian forces made confirmed advances near Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and the border zone of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions amid ongoing positional battles along the front.
• Russian officials continue to persecute naturalized migrants as part of the ongoing cryptomobilization effort.
• The Russian occupation authorities persist in efforts to restore logistic infrastructure in the occupied territory of Ukraine.