Russian Momentum Stalling Somewhat West of Avdiivka

Continuing their attempt to advance farther west, beyond Avdiivka, the Russians made attacks on Berdychi, Orlivka and Tonenke Sunday but had limited success, Dmytro Dmytro Lykhoviy, the spokesman for the operational and strategic grouping of the “Tavria” troops said, speaking on Ukrainian television.

On Feb. 17, with supply routes under serious threat and Ukrainian troops running out of ammunition, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky ordered that Ukrainian troops to withdraw from Avdiivka, where, though it cannot be confirmed, one prominent military blogger placed Russian losses at 16,000 – more than the Soviet Union’s official number for those killed in the Afghanistan War.

Then from there, the Ukrainian military also withdrew from the village of Lastochkyne in order “to organize defenses along the line of Orlivka, Tonenke, and Berdychi,” Lykhoviy said.

“According to the confirmed data, the operational situation is stabilizing in the area of ​​these three villages, which are of most interest to everyone (Berdychi, Orlivka and Tonenke). There, our forces restrain the enemy within these settlements. The hostilities are ongoing,” Lykhoviy said Sunday.

While the loss of the villages isn’t imminent, the Russians have had some “local successes” in “some positions.” 

“For example, when firing positions are simply destroyed by artillery, then the personnel regroups and moves to other, more advantageous positions,” Lykhoviy said.

According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ukrainian military repelled 14 attacks around the settlements of Berdychie, Orlivka, Tonenke and Nevelske in the Donetsk region.

In the direction of Novopavlivka, Ukrainian defenders held back the Russians in the areas of Krasnohorivka, Georgiivka, Pobieda and Novomykhailivka 25 times.

And in the Orykhiv direction, the Russians carried out four unsuccessful attacks in the vicinity of the settlement of Robotyne and west of Novoprokopivka of the Zaporizhzhia region, the General Staff reported. 

The Russian army also attacked in the Kupyan, Lyman, Bakhmut, and Kherson directions.