UK MOD Reports Ukrainian Breakthrough In Avdiivka

The UK Ministry of Defence has reported that Kyiv has repelled a major Russian assault on Avdiivka, a Ukrainian town in Donbass which has been on the frontline of the war between Russian and Ukraine since 2014.

• UK Ministry of Defence wrote on X: "Despite relentless attacks, Russian forces have been pushed back to battle lines that have existed since 2014. Recent assaults have resulted in a 90% increase in Russian casualties."
• CNN reported ahead of the assault: "[Avdiivka] is seen by Ukrainian and Russian forces as a heavily fortified stronghold... Analysts say the Russian aim is to encircle the city and take over an area of high ground near an industrial facility which would give Russia effective fire control over Ukrainian supply routes."
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this month that the battle of Avdiivka could, “determine the overall course of the war," adding that, “the more Russian forces are destroyed near Avdiivka now, the worse the overall situation and the overall course of this war will be for the enemy.”
• Successfully repelling a Russian assault on the strategic town could demonstrate that Ukraine's fighting force remains effective ahead of the first in-person meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council in Brussels on 29 November where Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will petition NATO partner to authorise additional security assistance.