Surprising admission from Putin: that’s how bad things are with the Russian offensive in Avdiivka

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As temperatures outside drop, Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin (71) is lowering expectations about the Russian offensive in Ukraine. The Russian president never tires of emphasizing that Kiev’s counteroffensive “completely failed.” However, his troops are not moving either.

An example that illustrates the situation: the small Donetsk town of Avdiivka in the east of the country. It was largely destroyed last spring. Recently, Putin’s forces intensively shelled Avdiivka. Attempts to encircle the Ukrainians failed.

After the recent failures, Putin is now also tempering his optimism: he spoke on state television about the situation in Ukraine – including about Avdiivka. According to the Kremlin chief, his troops are conducting an “active defense” there. They would also “improve their position in some areas”.

Putin’s reserved formulation is striking. Two days earlier, Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebensha (61) spoke of “active hostilities”. Russian military bloggers even talked about an “offensive”. But Putin is now keeping a low profile. According to the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), this is a sign that the Kremlin wants to “lower expectations of significant Russian progress.”

Mega attack without success

There has been heavy fighting around Avdiivka in recent days. The Russians launched a large-scale offensive. Sergii Czechovsky of the 59th Brigade told the BBC: “We have not faced such an intense attack since the beginning of the invasion. They deploy multiple rocket launchers, artillery, tanks and infantry, all at the same time.”

But the Russian mega-attack was unsuccessful. According to the ISW, the pace and intensity of Russian attacks have decreased since Sunday. The think tank concludes: “It is unlikely that Russian forces will achieve a significant breakthrough or cut off Ukrainian forces in Avdiivka in the near future.”

Military bloggers agree to remain silent

Russian military observers also noted that Putin’s forces failed at Avdiivka. Although military bloggers were initially optimistic, they now admit that Russia’s armed forces are not making the progress they planned. They write about “intense and grueling” fights, if they comment on them at all. Many bloggers have stopped reporting on Avdiivka. “There is an agreement to ban any comment on Avdiivka,” writes a military blogger on Telegram.

At the same time, reports of problems in the Russian army are increasing again. Russian commander Alexander Chodakowski (50) wrote on Sunday that the Russian military leadership was not interested in the problems at battalion level. His conclusion is harsh: the infantry at the front is inadequately equipped, suffers from incompetent commanders and medical care leaves much to be desired. (bab)

Source: Blick