Battle of Avdiivka

The Avdiivka Battle

... the eastern Ukraine attack, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the Donbas War and Battle of Donbas

The church in Avdiivka was demolished on February 21, 2022.

21 February 2022 to the present (9 months, 3 weeks and 3 days)

Location Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine; Avdiivka and nearby villages

Result Ongoing

Combatants Donetsk PR (until 30 September)

Russia

leaders and commanders in Ukraine

Denis Sinenkov, Sergey Agranovich, Dzhemil Izmailov, Vitalii Barabash, and Artem Murakhovskyi are some of the people mentioned. [4]

Donetsk People's Republic DPR Armed Forces units involved

Battalion of Sparta[5]

Battalion for Somalia[5]

10.5th Regiment

Russian Defense Forces

international volunteers from the Middle East

[6] (alleged) 72nd Mechanized Brigade AZOV logo.svg 72 p. AZOV RIGOR

losses and casualties

10,000+ dead, 20,000+ wounded, according to Ukraine (10 April-18 July only)

[7]

DPR: 185+ killed (10-15 June only)

[8]

vte 2022: 50+ civilians killed, 35+ injured Ukrainian invasion by Russia

The Russian and Donbas Separatist Forces are engaged in a continuing armed conflict with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the battle of Avdiivka. The Donbas region's Avdiivka city is the focus of the conflict. [9] On February 21, 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the Donetsk People's Republic, fighting broke out once more in the Donbas. [10] Avdiivka was among the first places to be assaulted a few days later, when Russia invaded Ukraine. [11]

Contents

1 Background \s2 Battle

2.1 Early conflict (21 February – 17 April)

2.2 Increment (18 April – 27 July)

2.3 Recurring assaults (28 July – present)

3 Casualties

4 References

Background The Russo-Ukrainian War has been raging in Avdiivka since 2015.

[9] It was the scene of the 2017 Battle of Avdiivka, which left the town in ruins but left Ukrainian forces in control of it.

[9]

Early fighting in a battle (21 February – 17 April)

It was claimed that Russian military were assisting the separatists in Avdiivka on February 21, 2022.

[11]

Avdiivka was one of the principal targets of Russia's invasion of Ukraine when it formally began. Artem Murakhovskyi, a commander of the Azov Battalion, was reported dead in Avdiivka on March 25. Russian forces destroyed the Avdiivka Coke Plant on March 13[12]. [13]

Escalation (18 April – 27 July) (18 April – 27 July)

On April 18, Russia attacked and extensively shelled Avdiivka as part of their re-invasion of Eastern Ukraine.

[14]

[15]

[16] Approximately 2,000 people from Avdiivka were compelled to go above ground. [17] [18][19]

After being shelled by white phosphorus weapons, the first school in Avdiivka

White phosphorous ammunition was used by Russian soldiers numerous times during the combat, according to reports. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk Oblast, reported phosphorus attacks on the city's industrial zone on March 26, the coking plant area on April 26, and the city center the following day, which resulted in multiple fires. [21] [22] The first school in Avdiivka was destroyed by a Russian attack using phosphorus munitions on May 18. [23] [24] Videos of the Russian army using a thermobaric weapon to bombard Ukrainian forces in Avdiivka were made public on April 29. [25]

The General Staff of Ukraine said on May 26 that Russian soldiers were moving through Avdiivka and taking control of a large portion of the city.

[26

The DPR acquired control of a significant highway on June 1.

[27] The DPR seized terrain close to Kamianka on June 6. [28] Russia struck the Avdiivka Coke Plant once more on June 12. [29] The third school to be demolished in Avdiivka was School No. 6, which was destroyed on June 21. [30] Russian military opened fire on Avdiivka on June 24. [31]

Later, on July 4, Russian forces took control of Novoselivka Druha, a city 10 kilometers northeast of Avdiivka, in an effort to encircle the city.

[32] Russian military bombarded Avdiivka for 24 hours on July 7. They struck the Avdiivka Coke Plant, residential structures, a hospital, and a bus depot. [33]

The DPR stated on July 18 that it had "half-encircled" Avdiivka after blocking two of the entryways. Additionally, according to the ISW, fighting grew more intense on July 18 north of Avdiivka. [34]

Recurring assaults (28 July – present)

DPR and Russian forces allegedly started an offensive to encircle Avdiivka on July 28. Krasnohorivka, Pisky, and other settlements north of Avdiivka were attacked by Russian and rebel forces, with unknown benefits. [35] Russian forces reportedly made attempts to push near Kamyanka and Pisky on July 31, and unidentified other Russian groups claimed "partial success" near Avdiivka. In accordance with Ukrainian sources, the Donetsk People's Republic (DPRdeputy )'s information minister, Daniil Bezsonov, asserted that Russian and DPR soldiers had taken up positions on the outskirts of Pisky. [36] 2,500 persons, or 10% of Avdiivka's pre-war population, according to Vitalii Barabash, Head of the Avdiivka City Military Administration. [37]

On August 5, Ukraine stated that it had lost the Butivka coal mine to Russia and that it had been pushed outside of Avdiivka.

[38]

[39] Ukraine denied the DPR's claim that its forces had taken Pisky, while Russia claimed to have done so.

[40]

[41] On August 7, images from the battle revealed that Russian forces had entered Pisky's city center.

[42] As of August 12, the ISW stated that the Russians had heavily shelled Pisky utilizing thermobaric artillery weapons, based on combat footage and satellite photos.

[43] The Ukrainian military disputed that Pisky had been taken, claiming that fighting had continued while the Russian defense ministry asserted that it had been completely taken by August 14[44]. [45]

Pisky was taken prisoner on August 24 by Russian and DNR soldiers.

[46] Early in September, a number of separatist forces, including the Somalia and Sparta battalions, started an assault in the larger Avdiivka region, particularly close to Pisky. [5] The Wall Street Journal stated that Ukrainian forces "remain[ed] on the defensive" in Avdiivka as of late September. [47] On October 10, Ukraine claimed that Russia was aiming to encircle the city of Avdiivka while continuing its offensive there. [48]

Casualties

50 civilians have died and been injured in the city since the invasion began, including victims of the shelling on the market on October 12.

Russian shelling on April 8 resulted in one death and one injury.

[49] On April 13 at Avdiivka, one civilian was murdered and 12 were injured.

[50] Three civilians died on May 2 as a result of Russian bombardment. [51] According to a news report on the Dutch website Nos.nl, a coking factory attack on May 3, 2022, resulted in at least 10 fatalities and 15 injuries. The attack allegedly occurred as the workers were waiting for the bus after finishing their shift. [52] All night long on May 23, Russian fire and shelling pounded Avdiivka. Twenty homes, a kindergarten, and three individuals were seriously harmed. [53] On May 30, a street brawl in Avdiivka resulted in the death of one person. [54] On June 12, 2 civilians perished. [55] Two civilians were killed in Avdiivka on July 5. [56] On July 7, one civilian died and two others were injured. [33] On August 6, one civilian died. [57] On October 12, a Russian airstrike on the city market resulted in the deaths of 7 civilians and the injuries of another 12. [58] [59]