Russian forces have pushed more troops to the frontline in Avdiivka despite a failing offensive which has incurred heavy losses, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said.
The Ukrainian ministry of defence also claimed the recent Russian assaults in Avdiivka have contributed to “a 90 per cent increase in Russian casualties”.
Avdiivka has become a watchword for resistance, viewed as the gateway to recapturing the Russian-held city of Donetsk and the rest of Donbas.
It comes as the UK defence ministry estimated Russia has amassed “150,000-190,000 permanent casualties” in the war with Ukraine.
Ukrainian Tavriisk Group of Forces spokesperson Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun stated that the Russian military is deploying personnel from Russian territory directly to the Avdiivka direction to replace personnel losses, according to the ISW.
In other developments, six people have been killed in a Russian missile attack that hit a postal distribution centre in Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials have said, as Kherson has seen a record number of bomb attacks in the past 24 hours.