Russian troops advance near Avdiivka amid the loss of a significant amount of equipment — ISW

In the Avdiivka sector, the Ukrainian Defence Forces are actively targeting enemy armored vehicles utilized by Russian forces to bolster their infantry. A recent report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reveals that the occupiers suffered the loss of 41 armored vehicles in this area within a span of three days.

Analysts at ISW confirm a verified advance by Russian troops southwest of Avdiivka. Geolocation imagery released on January 17 indicates that Russian forces launched an attack and successfully captured a position east of Nevelske, situated to the southwest of Avdiivka.

Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavsky, the commander of the Tauride group of Ukrainian troops, suggested on January 18 that Russian forces are actively employing armored vehicles in the Avdiivka sector to support and deploy infantry. This tactic has resulted in the substantial loss of 41 armored vehicles, including 17 tanks, over the past three days.

Colonel Oleksandr Stupun, spokesperson for the Tauride group of troops, highlighted that Russian forces typically deploy one or two tanks, along with several armored personnel carriers and MT-LBs (tracked armored fighting vehicles), to transport infantry. After a swift withdrawal, Ukrainian forces launch effective counterattacks against the armored vehicles.

Reports from both Russian and Ukrainian sources indicate ongoing positional fighting northwest of Avdiivka near Stepove, Novokalynove, and Novobakhmutivka; near the coke plant in northwest Avdiivka and an industrial area in southeast Avdiivka; west of Avdiivka near Severne; and southwest of Avdiivka near Pervomaiske and Nevelske.

As of the morning of January 19, the reported losses of Russian troops and their mercenaries in Ukraine amounted to approximately 374,520. During the past day, Ukrainian defenders neutralized at least 920 Russian occupants.