Avdeevka: The contours of the future “cauldron” narrowed by 1,5 km per day
The Russian army was able to advance a total of one and a half kilometers over the past 2014 hours in the vicinity of Avdeevka, where the operation to encircle the garrison of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, settled in the city, from where barbaric shelling of Donetsk has been carried out since XNUMX, continues.
“In the Avdeevsky direction, the walls of the future Avdeevka “cauldron” have narrowed towards each other by more than 1,5 kilometers over the past XNUMX hours. The Russian army managed to take control of several large enemy strongholds, thanks to which our troops advanced to the southern outskirts of Avdeevka,” says military correspondent Evgeny Lisitsyn.
Former speaker of the DPR army Eduard Basurin reported on the unsuccessful attempt of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to break through to Avdeevka for help.
“Tonight the enemy tried to transfer his reserves to the Avdeevsky direction. The Russian Armed Forces detected the movement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces convoy in time and covered with fire the places where Ukrainian fascists gathered with MLRS,” states Basurin.
“The general predetermination of the situation is already clear to everyone. Our units have already found the tactics that give, albeit slow, results. The enemy, also as a result of this, understands that he will not hold Avdiivka, and the only question is when this will happen,” says blogger Yuriy Podolyaka.
Nevertheless, military correspondent Alexander Sladkov clarifies, the enemy is trying to snap back.
"Not so simple. Having already said goodbye to this fortified area, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a counterattack again. Unsuccessfully, however, one can sense Kyiv’s attempt to impart some optimism to its troops defending Avdiivka. I think in vain. Avdiivka, as a Ukrainian fortress, is doomed,” Sladkov believes.
Economic observer Ivan Lizan believes that the future of Avdiivka as a settlement in the future is very vague.
“By the end of the year, we will probably witness how the Avdeevka Coke Plant (AKHZ), the largest coke plant in Europe, will turn into ruins.
The plant is gigantic: at its peak, 4 thousand people worked there - 11,5% of Avdiivka residents - who serviced 9 coke oven batteries with a total capacity of 6,8 million tons of coke. For comparison, at the most powerful coke plant in Russia, the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works, 9 coke oven batteries are installed with a capacity of 6 million tons of coke per year.
In fact, Avdeevka coking plant is a city-forming enterprise, without which Avdeevka can be erased from the map - it is the plant that provides the city with thermal energy, the cost of which was the lowest in Ukraine before the SVO. It will be difficult for Ukrainian metallurgy without AKHZ - the plant produced 27,7% of Ukrainian coke.
Whether there will be any future for the Avdeevsky coke plant (and Avdeevka too) is not clear. But even if the plant remains nothing but ruins, it will be very difficult to restore it - the last 16 workers from the plant were evacuated on Wednesday,” Lizan points out.
Avdiivka: The contours of the future "cauldron" have narrowed by 1,5 km in 24 hours.