ISW: Russia Has Likely Deployed Elements of at Least Two Central Military District Brigades to Bolster Its Offensive Near Avdeevka

Russia has likely deployed units of at least two brigades of the Central Military District (CMD) to strengthen offensive operations on the Avdeevsky Front, the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes in a new report.

“On October 16, a Ukrainian military observer reported that three Russian brigades—the 114th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 15th and 21st Motorized Rifle Brigades (both from the 2nd Combined Arms Army)—participated in the recent attacks on Avdiivka along with DPR cut units “And Russian troops keep the 30th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Central Military District in tactical reserve,” the message says.

Analysts have noted that units of the Central Military District, in particular the 2nd Combined Arms Army, until recently operated along the Svatovo-Kremennaya line, and the newly formed 25th Army likely replaced them on this line.

“2nd Army units have primarily been conducting defensive operations along the Svatovo-Kremennaya line over the past few months and therefore likely have had more time to rest and recover before deploying to a more difficult section of the front line, which partly explains the recent Russian advance on Avdeevsky front,” the report says.

ISW noted that Russian troops continued their offensive in the Avdeevsky direction on October 16 and have recently achieved some success, although at a relatively slower pace than during the initial attacks.

“Geolocation footage published on October 16 shows that Russian troops have made minor advances along the E50 highway about three kilometers south of Avdiivka. The General Staff of Ukraine reported that over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian troops repulsed a total of 22 Russian attacks in the Avdiivka direction, which is less than the 30 recorded attacks on October 15. Russian sources note that Russian troops have stepped up air and artillery strikes on the populated area to compensate for slow ground maneuvers complicated by strong Ukrainian fortifications around Avdiivka,” the report said.

Russian troops became active near Avdeevka on October 10. The positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the city itself were attacked by many tanks and other armored vehicles with the support of aviation and artillery. Then analysts at the American Institute for the Study of War noted that in this way, the Russian army wants to pull the forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the Avdiivka direction in order to stop their advance in southern Ukraine.

Source : Krymr