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Russian forces have been heavily committed to storming the city of Avdiivka in Donbas but repeated assaults have “floundered” according to British Ministry of Defence assesements.<\/p>\n
Fighting across Ukraine appears stagnant with the advantage with the defending side, Avdiivka appears to be no exception with Ukrainian positions reportedly holding firm<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Defence reports that a major factor in the failure of Russian forces to make a breakthrough is a lack of close air support.<\/p>\n
Likewise, the size of the frontline stretching for over 1,000km makes deploying enough troops for offensive actions while also plugging potential gaps a huge ask for both sides.<\/p>\n
The MoD report reads: “Operations in recent weeks have seen the continuation of a trend which has been identified since early in the war: other factors being equal, the balance of land combat generally favours the defending force.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/strong> Vladimir Putin launches into strange bedbugs rant and mocks new Russia sanctions<\/strong><\/p>\n “In the south, the Ukrainian advance remains relatively static between the two main lines of Russia\u2019s well prepared defensive positions. Around the Donbas town of Avdiivka, a large-scale Russian assault has floundered on strong Ukrainian defences.<\/p>\n “A major factor in this phenomenon has highly likely been the relative side-lining of tactical air power: both sides have maintained credible air defences, preventing combat jets from providing effective air support for assaults.<\/p>\n “Above all, the geographic size of the conflict has hampered the offensives: both sides have struggled to assemble uncommitted striking forces capable of a breakthrough because most of their mobilised troops are needed to hold the 1,200km line of contact.”<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> Ukraine is holding onto its position in the city and surrounding area despite attempts by Russia to encircle the Avdiivka.<\/p>\n The fighting comes during reports that Russia is failing to learn from past mistakes with the Institute for the Study of War noting poor coordination between troops.<\/p>\n George Barros an analyst for the US think tank said: “It was not surprising to see the quality of the attack, or the lack thereof, and the lack of coordination. That was not surprising.<\/p>\n “What really astonished me was on October 11 or 12, I saw this viral piece of combat photo showing a column of Russian vehicles advancing towards Adviivka southern flank, and one of the lead vehicles in this column flipped over and fell into a reservoir which was kind of humouring.<\/p>\n “But the column itself was very densely packed, they weren’t spaced out very well.”<\/p>\n
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