Russian Fighter Jets Face One Major Threat Near Avdiivka: UK

Ukrainian air defenses around the Donetsk town of Avdiivka are forcing Russia's fighter jets to launch strikes far from the destroyed settlement, reducing the accuracy of Moscow's munitions, according to a new assessment.

Russian jets approaching Avdiivka are being "forced to launch munitions at range, degrading their accuracy" because of Ukraine's air defense systems protecting the town, a site of a major Russian offensive push, the British defense ministry said on Thursday.

Russia launched its offensive around Avdiivka last October. The town, northwest of the regional capital, Donetsk City, has spent more than a decade on the frontlines and has been dubbed a Ukrainian stronghold.

Western analysts were initially optimistic that Ukraine's steadfast, long-standing defenses would weather Russia's onslaught. But Russian forces have advanced around the town in a slow encirclement, taking territory at an excruciating human cost. Avdiivka has been labeled a "meat grinder," a term used to describe extended battles with high casualty counts.

Prominent Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov said on Monday that Russia was just 1,200 meters from "the entrance to the city" of Avdiivka. "The destruction is extensive," he said in a post to messaging app Telegram.

"Avdiivka remains a primary focus of Russian operations," the U.K. government said on Thursday.

In the past month, Russia's tactical aircraft have launched around 600 guided munitions against Ukrainian soldiers in Avdiivka, the U.K. ministry said, adding that the number of strikes had increased in the past two weeks.

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian defense ministry for comment via email.

In late November, Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Tavria grouping of forces that covers Avdiivka, told Newsweek that Russia was using Su-35 aircraft to drop guided aerial bombs around Avdiivka.

"These planes operate from a distance," skirting around Ukrainian air defenses, Shtupun said. Russia used both jets and attack helicopters to launch strikes on Avdiivka in the early days of the onslaught, Shtupun said.

Operating within the reach of Ukraine's air defenses put the aircraft launching strikes on Avdiivka in danger. On Thursday, Kyiv's defense ministry said Ukraine's forces had downed one of Russia's prized Ka-52 helicopters using a man-portable air defense system close to Avdiivka.

"Russia is almost certain to continue offensive pressure in this area over the next several weeks, heavily leveraging tactical air power to support its effort," the U.K. defense ministry predicted.

Capturing Avdiivka would allow Moscow to greatly expand its logistical operations, jeopardize Ukraine's positions against Russian opposition in Donetsk City and could pave Russia's path to Kostyantynivka—a "quite important stronghold," Serhiy Hrabsky a military analyst and former Ukrainian army colonel, told Newsweek in late December. Kostyantynivka is, in turn, on the approach to the industrial zones around Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, still firmly under Ukrainian control.

Moscow is ploughing ahead with attacks on the southeastern edge of Avdiivka, with "urban street-to-street combat taking place," the British defense ministry said.

On Thursday, Ukraine's military said Russia was still attempting to encircle Avdiivka, but that it was suffering significant losses against Ukrainian defenses. Moscow's defense ministry didn't mention Avdiivka in an operational update on Thursday.

"The enemy is pressing from all directions," Avdiivka mayor Vitaliy Barabash said on Thursday, according to Ukrainian media. "They are storming with very large forces."

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.