General Staff: Russian troops try to encircle Avdiivka

Russia continued its offensive in the Donetsk Oblast (eastern Ukraine), trying to advance north and south of Avdiivka, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported in its daily frontline update on 21 October 2023.

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, the Russian army suffered heavy casualties over the past 24 hours during its offensive operations, losing 55 armored vehicles and 16 tanks.

Within 24 hours, the Russian army launched four missile strikes and 33 air strikes. Apart from air strikes, Russian troops used multiple rocket launchers to shell the positions of Ukrainian forces and residential areas of Ukrainian towns 24 times, the General Staff reported. Russian attacks resulted in civilian casualties and injuries. Residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure were destroyed and damaged.

Over the last day, there were around 68 combat engagements between Ukrainian defenders and invading Russian troops, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.

The operational situation in the east and south of Ukraine remains difficult, the General Staff reported.

A Ukrainian soldier hits a Russian infantry fighting vehicle with a Swedish Carl Gustaf M4 anti-tank weapon near Avdiivka (Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine).

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