Ukrainian forces continued larger-than-usual ground operations on the eastern (left) bank of the Kherson region and established a confirmed presence in a settlement on the eastern bank, ISW reports.
Geolocated footage published on October 19 shows that Ukrainian troops have advanced to the northeast of the village of Krynky (27 km east of Kherson city and 2 km from the Dnipro River).
Ukrainian forces are gaining ground in the Krynky area and continue to maintain their presence in the area of Antonivske and the railway bridge over the Dnipro, ISW experts write.
ISW also writes about Russian military attempts to advance in the Donetsk region.
On October 20, Russian troops launched a new offensive near Avdiivka, but made little progress. This may mean that the Russian military command is still committed to offensive operations in the area, despite heavy losses of equipment and personnel, the authors of the report write.
Initial Russian offensive operations in the Avdiivka area on October 10 resulted in heavy confirmed losses of Russian equipment, ISW reminds.
The fact that Russian troops regrouped and resumed their offensive after the first attacks suggests that Russian troops see a real opportunity to take Avdiivka, or that the Russian military command is simply bad at prioritizing offensive operations.
Background. The day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian losses near Avdiivka were "really impressive."