The Russian offensive on Avdiivka was the largest in the last year, a coordinated encirclement exercise that saw the army mobilize tanks, armored vehicles and thousands of soldiers on the Eastern Front. The Russians launched a fierce counterattack and managed to overwhelm numerous positions, but the fighting was very hard and the operation lost its initial momentum. Last Sunday, Putin himself spoke of “active defense”: his men were thwarted by the resistance, which took advantage of the fortifications built around the city of Donetsk over the last decade. “The enemy is becoming more active, but is suffering heavy losses,” Ukrainian General Oleksandr Tarnavkyi said in Telegram.
According to Kiev authorities, Russian losses would be significant: last week the Ukrainians spoke of 2,840 men as well as 102 tanks and 183 armored vehicles, while 900 soldiers died on October 19 alone. These are unconfirmed figures that contain a fair amount of propaganda, but reports from practice show chaotic scenes: a Russian tank fell off a pontoon while crossing a river, another hit a soldier while reversing and then crashed into the Ukrainians met.
The resistance fires on the inmates with drones, anti-tank spears and mortars to slow the advance. To overcome the hurdles, the army is adapting its tactics: the Russians are digging tunnels that would allow soldiers to get closer to the Ukrainian positions, and they are also using ground-based drones. In fact, Ukrainian reconnaissance units noticed remote-controlled vehicles the size of cars that were used to deliver ammunition to the front.
There would also be a significant development in the south, where the counteroffensive is progressing slowly, but the Ukrainians claim to have crossed the Dnipro and reached occupied territory on the left bank – the eastern one – of the Dnipro for the first time, Kiev’s soldiers have done it , to maintain the position in the Kherson region. If the operation were successful, the Ukrainians could launch a new attack south from here to cut the land corridor connecting Crimea with Russia and hamper supplies.
However, the possibilities of weapons are endless. Estonia has released new estimates of aid sent by North Korea. According to Tallinn, Marshal Kim Jong-un would have sent a thousand containers to the Russians: considering that each container can contain about 300/350 artillery shells, between 300,000 and 350,000 pieces would have arrived at the front from Pyongyang, which is the equivalent of ammunition for one Month. According to the Estonians, the Russians still have 4 million bullets left: at the current firing rate – 10,000 shots per day – they could last for a year. That’s why this help shouldn’t be underestimated: According to expert Rob Lee, a delivery of 50,000 to 100,000 ammunition per month – if North Korea can keep up the pace – would make the difference.