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Battle of Avdiivka (2022–2023)

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Battle of Avdiivka
Part of the war in Donbas, Battle of Donbas, eastern Ukraine offensive and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Battle of Avdiivka.jpg
A church destroyed in Avdiivka, February 21, 2022.
Date21 February 2022 – present
(1 year and 3 weeks)
Location
Avdiivka (and surrounding villages), Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
Result Ongoing
Belligerents
  Ukraine
Commanders and leaders
Denis Sinenkov[1]
Sergey Agranovich †[2]		 Dzhemil Izmailov[3]
Vitalii Barabash
Artem Murakhovskyi † [4]
Units involved

Donetsk People's Republic DPR Armed Forces

Russia Russian Armed Forces

Middle Eastern foreign volunteers[6] (alleged)		 72 ОМБр.svg 72nd Mechanized Brigade
AZOV logo.svg Azov Regiment
Casualties and losses
Unknown Per DPR:
185+ killed (10-15 June only)[7]
50+ civilians killed, 35+ wounded
Not to be confused with Battle of Avdiivka (2017).

The battle of Avdiivka is an ongoing military engagement between the Russian Armed Forces and Donbas Separatist Forces on one side and the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the other. It is being fought over the city of Avdiivka, located in the Donbas region.[8] Fighting started when violence erupted in the Donbas again on 21 February 2022, when Russian president Vladimir Putin recognized the Donetsk People's Republic.[9] Days later, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Avdiivka was among the first places to be attacked.[10]

Discover more about Battle of Avdiivka (2022–2023) related topics

Armed Forces of Ukraine

Armed Forces of Ukraine

The Armed Forces of Ukraine, most commonly known in Ukraine as ZSU or anglicized as AFU, are the military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the President of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rada parliamentary commission. They trace their lineage to 1917, while the modern armed forces were formed after Ukrainian independence in 1991.

Avdiivka

Avdiivka

Avdiivka or Avdeevka is a city of regional significance in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The city is located in the center of the oblast, just north of the city of Donetsk. The large Avdiivka Coke Plant is located in Avdiivka. The city had a pre-war population of 31,392 ; in August 2022, its population was estimated at 2,500.

Donbas

Donbas

The Donbas or Donbass is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are occupied by Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer, serving as the current president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime minister from 1999 to 2000 and from 2008 to 2012, and as president from 2000 to 2008 and since 2012.

International recognition of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic

International recognition of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic

The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) are two Russian civilian-military administrative regimes in the Donbas region of Ukraine. Russia claims to have annexed them, although it only occupies part of their claimed territories as of November 2022, and treats them as its federal subjects. Before October 2022, they claimed independence from Ukraine, although the international community continues to consider them part of Ukraine's sovereign territory.

Background

Avdiivka has been at the front lines of the Russo-Ukrainian War since 2015.[8] It was the site of the 2017 battle of Avdiivka, resulting in destruction in the town, though Ukrainian forces still held it.[8]

Battle

Early fighting (21 February – 17 April 2022)

On 21 February 2022, it was reported that Russian troops were aiding the separatists in Avdiivka.[10]

When Russia officially started its invasion of Ukraine, Avdiivka was one of its main targets. On 13 March, Russian forces bombed the Avdiivka Coke Plant[11] and it was reported on 25 March that Artem Murakhovskyi, a commander of the Azov Battalion, was killed in Avdiivka.[12]

Escalation (18 April – 27 July 2022)

On 18 April, Russia renewed its invasion on Eastern Ukraine by heavily shelling and attacking Avdiivka.[13][14][15] Around 2,000 of Avdiivka's residents were forced to flee underground.[16][17][18]

Avdiivka 1st school after shelling by white phosphorus munitions
Avdiivka 1st school after shelling by white phosphorus munitions

During the battle, use of white phosphorus munitions by Russian forces was reported several times. Governor of Donetsk Oblast Pavlo Kyrylenko reported a phosphorus attack on the city industrial zone on 26 March,[19] on the area of the coking plant on 26 April, and on the city center, causing several fires, the next day.[20][21] On 18 May, Avdiivka 1st school was destroyed by a Russian attack with phosphorus munitions.[22][23] On 29 April, videos of the Russian army shelling Ukrainian forces in Avdiivka with a thermobaric weapon were published.[24]

On May 26, Ukraine's General Staff reported that Russian forces were advancing through Avdiivka, capturing many areas in the city.[25]

On 1 June, the DPR took control of a major highway.[26] On 6 June, the DPR took territory near Kamianka.[27] On 12 June, Russia again bombed the Avdiivka Coke Plant.[28] School No. 6 was destroyed on 21 June, being the third school destroyed in Avdiivka.[29] On 24 June, Russian forces fired on Avdiivka.[30]

Russian forces later captured Novoselivka Druha on 4 July, which is 10 km northeast of Avdiivka, in an attempt to encircle the city.[31] On 7 July, Russian forces shelled Avdiivka for 24 hours. They hit infrastructure, a hospital, residential buildings, a bus depot, and the Avdiivka Coke Plant.[32]

On 18 July, the DPR claimed it had "half-surrounded" Avdiivka, having blocked two of the roads leading into the town. The ISW also stated that fighting north of Avdiivka had intensified on July 18.[33]

Renewed assaults (28 July 2022 – present)

On 28 July, DPR and Russian forces launched a claimed offensive to surround Avdiivka. Russian and separatist forces assaulted the towns of Krasnohorivka, Pisky, and other towns north of Avdiivka, with unspecified gains.[34] On 31 July, the Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces attempted advances around Kamyanka and Pisky and that unspecified separate Russian units had ”partial success” around Avdiivka. Donetsk People‘s Republic (DPR) Deputy Information Minister Daniil Bezsonov claimed that Russian and DPR forces secured positions on the southeastern outskirts of Pisky, which is consistent with Ukrainian reports.[35] The Head of the Avdiivka City Military Administration Vitalii Barabash said that only 10% of the pre-war population of Avdiivka remained or about 2,500 people.[36]

Ukraine said on 5 August that it lost the Butivka coal mine to Russia and claimed it was pushed to the outskirts of Avdiivka.[37][38] The DPR claimed its forces and Russia took Pisky, with Ukraine rejecting the claim.[39][40] On August 7, combat footage showed that Russian forces had reached the centre of Pisky.[41] As of August 12, the ISW reported that based on combat footage and satellite imagery, much of Pisky had been leveled by the Russians, because of heavy shelling using thermobaric artillery systems.[42] The Russian defence ministry claimed to have fully captured Pisky by 14 August,[43] but the Ukrainian military denied that it had been captured, saying fights were still ongoing.[44]

On 24 August, Russian and DNR forces captured Pisky.[45] In early September, several separatist units, including the Sparta Battalion and Somalia Battalion, launched an attack in the wider Avdiivka area, most importantly near Pisky.[5] As of late September, the Wall Street Journal reported that Ukrainian forces "remain[ed] on the defensive" in Avdiivka.[46] On 10 October, Ukraine said Russia was continuing its offensive in Avdiivka and was trying to encircle the city.[47]

Discover more about Battle related topics

Avdiivka Coke Plant

Avdiivka Coke Plant

Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant (AKHZ) in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, is the largest coke producer in Ukraine and is owned by the company Metinvest, which is in turn owned by Rinat Akhmetov, a Ukrainian oligarch. AKHZ also produces a variety of chemicals including benzine, coal tar, coal oil ammonium sulphate and coke gas. At present Avdiivka Coke plant consists of 13 main and 30 auxiliary workshops as well as service structural divisions.

Eastern Ukraine

Eastern Ukraine

Eastern Ukraine or east Ukraine is primarily the territory of Ukraine east of the Dnipro river, particularly Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts (provinces). Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts are often also regarded as "eastern Ukraine". In regard to traditional territories, the area encompasses portions of the southern Sloboda Ukraine, Donbas, the eastern Azov Littoral (Pryazovia).

White phosphorus munitions

White phosphorus munitions

White phosphorus munitions are weapons that use one of the common allotropes of the chemical element phosphorus. White phosphorus is used in smoke, illumination, and incendiary munitions, and is commonly the burning element of tracer ammunition. Other common names for white phosphorus munitions include WP and the slang terms Willie Pete and Willie Peter, which are derived from William Peter, the World War II phonetic alphabet rendering of the letters WP. White phosphorus is pyrophoric ; burns fiercely; and can ignite cloth, fuel, ammunition, and other combustibles.

Governor of Donetsk Oblast

Governor of Donetsk Oblast

The governor of Donetsk Oblast is the head of executive branch for the Donetsk Oblast. Due to the current Russo-Ukrainian War Donetsk Oblast is, since 5 March 2015, assigned as a civil–military administration. Hence the governor of Donetsk Oblast is officially called Head of the Donetsk Regional Military Civil Administration.

Pavlo Kyrylenko

Pavlo Kyrylenko

Pavlo Oleksandrovych Kyrylenko is a Ukrainian prosecutor and politician. He is the current Governor of Donetsk Oblast. Under martial law during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kyrylenko has served as the Head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration.

Thermobaric weapon

Thermobaric weapon

A thermobaric weapon, also called an aerosol bomb, a vacuum bomb, or a fuel air explosive (FAE), is a type of explosive that uses oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion. The fuel–air explosive is one of the best-known types of thermobaric weapons.

Battle of Pisky (2022)

Battle of Pisky (2022)

The Battle of Pisky was a series of military engagements for control of the ghost town of Pisky, located just outside of the city of Donetsk, between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the allied separatist Donetsk People's Republic during the battle for Donbas of the Eastern Ukraine campaign. Russian and separatist forces fully captured Pisky on 24 August 2022.

Sparta Battalion

Sparta Battalion

The Sparta Battalion is a Russian separatist military unit of the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine. They were integrated into the Russian Armed Forces in 2022. The unit has been fighting against the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbas war and the 2022 Russian invasion. Formed in 2014, it was initially led by the Russian-born Arsen Pavlov until his death in October 2016, and then by Vladimir Zhoga, from Sloviansk, until his death in March 2022.

Somalia Battalion

Somalia Battalion

The Somalia Battalion is a separatist military unit of the Russian-backed Donetsk People's Republic in Ukraine, which has been fighting against the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbas war and the 2022 Russian invasion. The battalion's full name is 1st Separate Tank Battalion Somalia.

The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal is an American business-focused international daily newspaper based in New York City with international editions published in Chinese and Japanese. The Journal and its Asian editions are published six days a week by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corp. The newspaper is published in broadsheet format and online. The Journal has been printed continuously since its inception on July 8, 1889. The Journal is regarded as a newspaper of record, particularly in terms of business and financial news. The newspaper has won 38 Pulitzer Prizes, the most recent in 2019.

Casualties

Victims of the shelling of the market on 12 October
Victims of the shelling of the market on 12 October

50 civilians have been killed and wounded in the city since the start of the invasion.

On 8 April, one person was killed and another injured by Russian shelling.[48] On 13 April, one civilian was killed and 12 were wounded in Avdiivka.[49] On 2 May, three civilians were killed due to Russian bombardment.[50] On 3 May 2022, according to a news article on Dutch outlet Nos.nl, at least 10 people died and 15 more were injured during an attack on a coking plant. Allegedly, the attack took place after the workers had finished work and were waiting for the bus.[51] On 23 May, Russian shelling and artillery bombarded Avdiivka all night long. Three civilians were injured and 20 houses as well as a kindergarten were damaged severely.[52] On 30 May, one civilian was killed during a street fight in Avdiivka.[53] 2 civilians were killed on June 12.[54] On 5 July, 2 civilians were killed in Avdiivka.[55] One civilian was killed and two wounded on 7 July.[32] One civilian was killed on 6 August.[56] On 12 October 7 civilians were killed and 12 more were injured after a Russian shelling of the city market.[57][58]

Source: "Battle of Avdiivka (2022–2023)", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 14th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Avdiivka_(2022–2023).

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Further Reading

Avdiivka

War in Donbas (2014–2022)

Battle of Horlivka

Second Battle of Donetsk Airport

Battle of Debaltseve

Shyrokyne standoff

Battle of Marinka (2015)

Battle of Avdiivka (2017)

Timeline of the war in Donbas (2015)

Timeline of the war in Donbas (2016)

Timeline of the war in Donbas (2017)

Timeline of the war in Donbas (2022)

Timeline of the war in Donbas (2019)

Eastern Ukraine campaign

Battle of Rubizhne

Battle of Donbas (2022–present)

Battle of Marinka (2022–2023)

Battle of Siversk
See also
Notes
  1. ^ from 21 February alleged by Ukraine, officially from 24 February
References
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  12. ^ ІА «Вчасно» (2022-11-23). "28 років назавжди: активіст та митець Артем Мураховський загинув у боях під Авдіївкою — ІА «Вчасно»". vchasnoua.com (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-01-19.
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