Syrsky throws the best trained reserves of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to defend Avdiivka - Forbes
Ukrainian troops have decided to stay and fight, which poses a "huge risk" for Kyiv, the magazine says
Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has sent the last of the Ukrainian army's trained reserves to defend Avdiivka, the first city that the Russian army could capture in nine months after taking Bakhmut in May 2023.
According to Forbes, this refers to the 3rd Assault Brigade of the Army, which has been in reserve in Kramatorsk since December. The brigade consists of about 2,000 people in armoured vehicles.
"We are strengthening the defence line, creating additional firing positions and deploying fresh combat forces," confirmed Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavsky, commander of the Tavria group of troops in Avdiivka, in his telegram channel.
Meanwhile, the defence of Avdiivka, a key Ukrainian army stronghold in Donbas, has reached a critical point. Russian troops, who have been besieging the city for four months, have begun to break through the Ukrainian defences and are one step away from cutting the main supply route for the Ukrainian forces.
"The situation is tense. If we said a few weeks ago that it was difficult but controlled, now it is very difficult, and we can even say that in some places there is a critical situation," said Vitaliy Barabash, head of Avdiivka's military administration.
According to Forbes, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had two options: to withdraw the remnants of the 110th Brigade from the unprotected eastern part of the city and consolidate the defence line in the centre of Avdiivka or near the city, or to send in reinforcements and try to push back the much larger Russian forces. As a result, Ukrainian troops decided to stay and fight, which poses a "huge risk" for Kyiv, the newspaper notes.
Background. Meanwhile, experts say that if there are no drastic decisions on Avdiivka within 24 hours, the situation will become worse than with Bakhmut.
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