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| The key stage of the assault. Why is it important to knock the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of the Avdievka industrial zone? |
| 2023-11-29 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Sergey Adamov [REGNUM] Russian troops continue their assault on the massive fortified area of the Ukrainian Armed Forces north of Donetsk. Heavy fighting is taking place in the area of the city of Avdievka, which is being assaulted from several sides at once. Ukrainian sources admit that on November 20, the “third stage” of the assault on the city began, which was actively supported by the fire of our heavy artillery and the actions of tactical aviation. In recent days, the hottest spot in the Avdeevsky direction has become the industrial zone, an industrial zone located on the southeastern outskirts of the city. The Avdeevskaya and nearby Yasinovatskaya industrial zones are an area of factory and utility buildings with extensive basements and bunkers. The industrial zone is located on a hill, dominating both the low-lying neighborhoods of Avdievka and the suburbs of Donetsk. From 2014 until the very last moment, the “promka” was used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces as a springboard from which it was convenient to conduct shelling of the DPR capital. The territory of the “Avdievka industrial zone” itself, over the eight years that passed from the beginning of the conflict in Donbass to the beginning of the Northern Military District, was turned into a well-prepared line of defense - with concrete fortifications buried in the ground and an extensive network of underground communications for the transfer of reinforcements and the supply of ammunition. IN DACHA RUINS There are conflicting reports from the field. A number of sources report complete control of Russian troops over the industrial zone area, others specify that the Russian Armed Forces have only gained a foothold on the outskirts of the industrial zone and are advancing 100–200 meters. The enemy, as usual, completely denies the fact that the fighting in this area led to significant changes in the front-line situation. An indirect confirmation of the success of the Russian troops can be considered a video published on social networks by a number of Telegram channels. A video shot by a reconnaissance drone shows the retreat of a group of Ukrainian soldiers from the Avdievka industrial zone. The linking of personnel showed that the Security Service troops retreated directly to the territory of Avdievka and took up defense in the area of Krasnaya Street. It was established that up to a hundred soldiers of the 110th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which was previously considered quite motivated and combat-ready, left their positions. The retreating troops are settling in the ruins of the private sector, using the basements of residential buildings as shelters. In this case, we can say that the entire area along Yasinovatsky Lane and the Yasinovataya-2 railway station came under the control of Russian troops. The next target of the Russian offensive should be the area of the sand quarry on the outskirts of the industrial zone, the area of the Tsarskaya Okhota restaurant and the Vinogradniki holiday village. However, local sources report that some of the Ukrainian military still remain on the outskirts of the industrial zone and in its southern part. Both the remaining formations of the 110th Brigade and the fighters trying to break through from the outside are operating in the area of the “wetted area”. Russian troops are repelling all attempts by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to regain lost positions. The intensity of the Russian offensive and the tactics chosen by the command do not leave the Ukrainian Armed Forces a chance to hold the area, DPR militia veteran Alexei Mareychenko, known under the call sign Leshy, told news agency Regnum. “My comrades who are currently operating there say: in the Avdievka area, the movement is slow, but effective and without unnecessary losses,” said Leshy. Aviation and heavy artillery are actively working, one after another opening up the enemy’s fortified positions, where attack aircraft then enter. “And the pace of the offensive cannot but rejoice,” the interlocutor added. This tactic was not chosen by chance and took into account the experience of fighting for the areas north-west and north of Donetsk, the militia veteran notes. Why did the danger of “wetting” increase with the beginning of the SVO? As mentioned above, at the beginning of the conflict in Donbass, the Ukrainian Armed Forces created a massive defensive unit that hung over the capital of the DPR. This zone, which has been a constant threat to Donetsk since the 2014-2015 campaign, included four elements located in an arc from northwest to north. These are the Donetsk airport, positions near the village of Spartak (now completely destroyed) and the industrial zones of the satellite cities of Donetsk - Avdievka and Yasinovataya. And it was precisely this area that has always been the most difficult section of the front, first for the DPR militia, and then for units of the Russian army. “I was at the Yasinovat industrial plant. This is a place where fighting never stopped. Neither in the Minsk agreements, nor during any truces. Unfortunately, we had to bury our comrades and suffer losses, so now, perhaps, they are acting more slowly, but minimizing losses,” added Alexey Mareychenko. Donetsk airport, we recall, was liberated after four months of heavy fighting in January 2015; the other fortified areas of the Ukrainian Armed Forces mentioned above continued to remain a threat to Donetsk. This was the case in 2014–2015; shelling did not stop during the Minsk agreements, and with the beginning of the Northern Military District, their intensity increased significantly, notes IA Regnum’s interlocutor . Moreover, the Ukrainian Armed Forces began shelling those areas of the city that for many years remained beyond the reach of Ukrainian artillery. It is from the Avdeevka area that Donetsk is being shelled from NATO-style artillery and MLRS (multiple launch rocket systems) using cluster munitions. And in this sense, the liberation of the industrial zone area, which is closely adjacent to the neighborhoods of Donetsk, becomes an extremely important task, primarily for the protection of civilians. “It was from this area that we always worked not on military installations, but on residential areas,” notes Leshy. Therefore, he again emphasizes, the need to liberate this area is long overdue and “the news about the advance of our troops is frankly encouraging.” AHEAD - KOKSOKHIM According to information from the ground, the advance in the area of the Avdievka industrial zone became possible due to the weakening of the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the city. Let us explain, the line of combat contact (LCC), running from the northwest to the southeast, bends in an arc in the Avdeevka area. The Ukrainian group in the city is wedging into the territory controlled by our troops. Realizing the threat of encircling the city, the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces tried to withdraw some of the troops from the city, planning a counterattack on Russian troops to the west and east of the city. Previously, Russian troops were able to cross the railway line that connects Avdeevka and the village of Ocheretino. Fighting continues in the area of the villages of Stepovoye and Berdychi. Ukrainian sources indicate that the highway passing through Berdychi is under constant fire, which creates a threat of encirclement of Avdievka. Information is also being received about the advance of forces west of Avdeevka from the settlements of Vodyanoye and Severnoe. It was the withdrawal of part of the forces from the city that made it possible to push the Ukrainian Armed Forces into the area of the industrial zone. However, it remains unclear whether the withdrawal of part of the forces from the forward lines in the development of Avdievka is a situational decision or whether the command of the Ukrainian troops is preparing for a complete withdrawal of troops from the city. Sources agree that as of the evening of November 28, most of the Avdievka industrial zone area is under the control of Russian troops. The Ukrainian Armed Forces units operating on the outskirts of the region are few in number. “The liberation of the industrial zone first of all deprives them of the opportunity to shell Donetsk. Then the opportunity arises to attack the southern outskirts of Avdeevka and enter the urban area. But they will wait for the approach of other forces from the eastern and western outskirts of the city,” notes an IA Regnum interlocutor familiar with the situation. The liberation of Avdievka also completely deprives the Ukrainian Armed Forces of the opportunity to launch their own attack on Donetsk, added Alexey Mareychenko. After the consistent “knocking out” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the above-mentioned chain of fortified areas - first from the Donetsk airport, then from the village of Spartak, and then from the Avdievka area - Ukrainian troops will be thrown back to a distance of 10-20 km from the city outskirts. The key stage of the assault on the city should be the liberation of the area of the Avdievka Coke Plant (AKHZ) in the north-west of the city, which has been turned into the main hub of Ukrainian defense, which is compared to the Mariupol Azovstal. Before the assault on Koksokhim begins, it will be necessary to suppress enemy artillery operating in firing positions within the city. However, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will continue to hold the defensive lines that have been created over the past nine years until the last, IA Regnum’s interlocutors note. |
| Posted by:badanov |