Ukraine Says Russia Ramping Up Attacks on Avdiivka

Ukraine said Wednesday that Russian forces had ratcheted up attacks on the nearly-encircled industrial town of Avdiivka in the eastern Donetsk region, a recent flashpoint of Moscow's invasion.

Avdiivka — which was once home to around 30,000 people — has been on the front line since 2014 and is part of the Donetsk region, which the Kremlin has claimed to have annexed along with three other regions.

Russia launched a renewed bid to capture the war-torn town last month and analysts suggest Moscow's forces have made incremental gains.

"Over the past day, the enemy has significantly increased its activity. It is using armored vehicles," Oleksandr Tarnavsky, the Ukrainian commander responsible for the territory, said.

He said Russian forces had carried out nearly 20 airstrikes, launched four missiles and thrown 56 assault waves at his forces, as well as fired more than 1,000 artillery rounds.

Tarnavsky said that Ukrainian forces were "firmly holding the line along the Avdiivka front," though this claim could not be independently verified.

Neither side has made significant breakthroughs on the battlefield for weeks, as Moscow's invasion approaches its second year.