Russian troops break into the centre of Avdiivka, Ukrainians retreat

On February 16 it was reported that Russian army soldiers broke into the center of Avdiivka.

"There is fierce fighting in the city,” Ukrainian General Alexander Tarnavsky.

The Russian forces also captured the Donetsk filtration station, Deep State project said.

The station is located northeast of Avdiivka. Before the start of the special operation, the station was located in the gray zone and provided water supply to the Donetsk region, both to the Ukraine-backed part and to the Donetsk People's Republic.

Ukraine's best assault brigade encircled

The third assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) which was deployed in Avdiivka not too long ago has found itself in partial encirclement, Strana.ua said with reference to deputy brigade commander Rodion Kudryashov.

"The third assault brigade in Avdiivka has been partly surrounded,” the commander said adding that the brigade has been staying in the city for 12 days.

It was also reported that the assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which was sent to Avdiivka, called the local coke plant "its new home.”

Ukrainian units prepare to retreat

The Ukrainian army is preparing to retreat from Avdiivka, Alexander Tarnavsky, the commander of Tavria operational-strategic group of troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.

"New positions have been prepared and powerful fortifications continue to be prepared as per all possible scenarios,” the general said.

Tarnavsky also noted that the defensive operation was still ongoing. At the same time, the main priority of the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is to preserve soldiers' lives, he added.

Ukrainian units suffer heavy losses trying to escape from trap

Military correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny said that the Russian troops significantly improved their positions in the Avdiivka on February 15. At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine find themselves in a difficult situation, he said.

"The enemy is suffering losses trying to get out of the nearly closed trap. The moral and psychological state of the Ukrainian fighters is extremely difficult,” Poddubny noted.

Military correspondent Evgeny Lisitsyn said that the Russian Armed Forces captured AFU's Zenit echeloned area in the south of the Avdiivka direction of hostilities. He also said that Kyiv had been creating defensive fortifications in the area since 2014.

The Deep State monitoring project that works in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that the Ukrainian military retreated from their positions in the Zenit area.

Alexander Syrsky, the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also said that the situation near Avdiivka was extremely tense. The Russians considerably outstrip the Ukrainians in number, he said. The Russian forces strike Ukrainian positions intensively, drop aerial bombs, conduct heavy artillery and mortar fire, Syrsky said.

The situation in Avdiivka aggravated for AFU fighters after the Russian units broke through to the strategically important road.

"The road that leads to the city is under fire entirely. The situation in Avdiivka remains very difficult,” the head of the Kyiv-controlled Donetsk regional military administration Vadim Filashkin said.

The Russian army storms Avdiivka from all directions

In early January, it was reported that Russian fighters were actively using artillery weapons to strike Ukrainian troops near Avdiivka. Retired colonel Andrei Koshkin said that the Russian Armed Forces started a new phase of actions after taking control of Marinka in late 2023.

Avdiivka is located 13 kilometres north of Donetsk. It was a 35,000-strong city before the special military operation. The fighting for the city has continued since the beginning of the conflict. In 2014, the city was controlled by DPR forces for several months, but Avdiivka came under the control of Ukraine again later.