Russia committing few troops to Avdiivka battle: Ukraine

According to Ukrainian officials, Russia’s military seems to be putting in fewer soldiers and less weapons in the fight for the destroyed eastern town of Avdiivka, which is seen to be a gateway to the Donetsk region’s capital. According to Oleksandr Shtupun, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military, there have been less airstrikes and ground attacks on Avdiivka, a town that had roughly 32,000 residents prior to the war and has been under Russian siege for more than a month. There are still about 1,500 people living there. “Russian occupying forces have reduced the number of ground and air attacks, though they still violate the rules of war by shooting at medical teams and evacuation vehicles,” Shtupun said on Russian television. Such claims are refuted by Russia. According to Vitaliy Barabash, the chief of Avdiivka’s military administration, battle was engulfing an industrial area, but Ukrainian forces were maintaining their positions. Significant defences were built after separatists backed by Russia temporarily took control of Avdiivka in 2014. “Our boys are still being targeted by the enemy,” he stated to NV Radio. “Drones are their primary area of interest. And once more, drones.” Ukraine’s military said there also had been an uptick in the number of Russian attacks on nearby Maryinka, a town where control has been disputed for months. Avdiivka is seldom mentioned by Russia in its daily military briefs. In its most recent dispatch, the Russian ministry of defence stated that its forces were targeting communities south of Avdiivka, though it did not provide many specifics. (With agency inpits)