The villages fall under the front-line Marinka and Ocheretyne communities, both in areas where Russian forces have intensified offensive operations in recent months.
Russia has decreased the number of ground attacks against Avdiivka but intensified its air strikes, dropping around 40 bombs at and near the town in just two nights, the Tavria group of forces' spokesperson, Oleksandr Shtupun, said on Oct. 24.
Winter is coming in Ukraine, and as it approaches, just as last year, Russia has gone on the offensive in the east. Starting on Oct. 9, dozens of Russian armored vehicles backed by thousands of infantry personnel, artillery, and air power, were launched at the flanks of the city of Avdiivka, a Ukrainian stronghold city still standing since 2014 just outside occupied Donetsk. Instead of the rapid advances Moscow was hoping for, the Russian attacking force achieved fame as the main characters in a seemingly endless stream of Ukrainian drone footage of destroyed Russian armor in the fields around the city.
Key developments on Oct. 24: Zelensky: Full Ukrainian fire control over Crimea 'only a matter of time' SBU charges businessman over supplying materials for Russian warships Around 1,000 civilians remain in Avdiivka Ukraine reportedly repurposes US-supplied missiles for air defense Russia lacks infantry capability, UK intel says Ukrainian forces will soon have fire control capabilities over Russian-occupied Crimea, President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed in an online address to the parliamentary summit of the Crimean Platform on Oct. 24.
Russian troops are reportedly adapting their tactics by digging tunnels to launch assaults from closer to Ukrainian positions and using unmanned ground vehicles, Anton Kotsukon, the 110th Separate Mechanized brigade's spokesperson, said on air on Oct. 21.