Battle of Avdiivka rages: soldiers film their own defeat

The fighting in Avdiivka is intensifying. There are heavy losses on both sides. Suspected recordings by the Ukrainians show the extent of the defeats.

Kiev – The battle for the city of Avdiivka in the Ukrainian war is a massive hardship for the soldiers. “We are at the end, we are all tired,” said Ukrainian Armed Forces Officer Olena Rysch about the current state of the Ukrainian army. There are 30 to 40 massive attacks per day in the city, Mayor of Avdiivka Vitaly Barabash recently said on Ukrainian television. The Ukrainian soldiers are gradually becoming exhausted. Suspected footage shows how much Volodymyr Zelensky’s army is suffering in the fierce fighting.

Ukraine complains of heavy fighting and apparently films casualties in Avdiivka

The soldiers use their cameras to record how they return Russian fire, throw grenades and hide from approaching tanks. According to the daily News The 30-minute video went viral in Ukraine a short time later. Also n-tv reports on a suspected video from Ukrainian forces that is intended to illustrate the difficult situation during the battle for Avdiivka.

In the footage, Ukrainian soldiers can be seen hiding in trenches. While wounded soldiers are being treated, a Russian tank apparently rolls up. It acts loudly n-tv about recordings from October 2023 by Oleh Sentsow. He is the company commander of the 47th independent mechanized brigade (a major military unit of the Ukrainian army). Further Ukrainian drone footage is said to show Russian tanks firing at a group of trees where Ukrainian units are said to be hiding. Only one of the three troops involved is said to have survived the enemy fire.

According to Sentsow, it is important to document the Ukraine war so that people now and later know how cruel and terrible war is, Sentsow told n-tv. The recordings shared by Sentsow could not be independently verified.

Heavy casualties in the Battle of Avdiivka: Are Ukrainian forces inferior to Russia?

Die Casualties on the Russian and Ukrainian sides in the battle for the industrial city of Avdiivka are high. Nevertheless, the fighting is intensifying day by day. According to media reports, the Russian army is said to be resorting to a strategy from the Soviet era. Mark Cancian, a retired U.S. Navy colonel, told the Business Insider, that Russia is probably pursuing the same goal on the Avdiivka front as at Bakhmut: to attack the enemy from three sides. “They’ve tried that many times.” This was a “classic military maneuver” from the Soviet era, he said.

However, the Ukrainians are running out of time: not only could they be inferior to Russian war tactics – the lack of supplies of weapons is also causing problems. Kiev is still waiting for the promised weapons aid from the West. But Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) sees the EU plans to deliver one million artillery shells to Ukraine by spring 2024 as doomed to failure. At the meeting of EU defense ministers on Tuesday (November 14th), Pistorius admitted that the target of one million would be clearly missed.