Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces remains intense around the town of Avdiivka
Written by worldOneFm on November 15, 2023
The Ukraine’s president is saying Russia was experiencing more losses there than it did in nearby Bakhmut, another war hotspot.
In other news, Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to announce his intention to run in the 2024 presidential election campaign during his annual press conference and public phone-in, the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence said Wednesday.
The Kremlin announced last week that Putin will hold the event, that sees the president answer a myriad of questions from the media and public, before the end of the year.
The event was canceled in 2022, probably because Russia had suffered high-profile military set-backs in Ukraine over the preceding weeks.
Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces remains intense around the town of Avdiivka in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, with Ukraine’s president saying Russia was experiencing more losses there than it did in Bakhmut, another war hotspot.
Similarly to Bakhmut, the town is seen as a strategic target for Russian forces looking to encircle the town, which has been heavily fortified by Ukrainian troops, and to strengthen their foothold in Donetsk. Fighting has been intense in the area for months and little remains of the town that was once home to around 32,000 inhabitants.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday evening that he had spoken to defense and security officials on the situation around Avdiivka and the surrounding area and that “Russian assaults are very intense, especially in the Donetsk region.”
“Russia is already losing soldiers and equipment near Avdiivka faster and on a larger scale than, for example, near Bakhmut. It is extremely difficult to withstand this onslaught. And each of our warriors holding the positions, each of our warriors performing combat missions there deserves our utmost gratitude,” Zelenskyy said.
“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,” Zelenskyy said. CNBC was unable to verify the claims made by the president.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to announce his intention to run in the 2024 presidential election campaign during his annual press conference and public phone-in, the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence said Wednesday.
The Kremlin announced last week that Putin will hold the event, that sees the president answer a myriad of questions from the media and public, before the end of the year.
“Kremlin planners will almost certainly see the event as an important waypoint in Putin’s anticipated campaign to secure a fifth term in office in the March 2024 presidential elections. He is likely to announce his candidacy before the end of 2023,” the ministry said in an intelligence update on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The event was canceled in 2022, probably because Russia had suffered high-profile military set-backs in Ukraine over the preceding weeks.
On Nov. 10, Putin visited the Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, meeting Chief of the General Staff General Valery Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Putin’s second visit to the headquarters in four weeks was “likely an uptick in his continued efforts to paint himself as the ‘patriotic’ candidate ahead of the election campaign,” the ministry said.
