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Russian troops have advanced close to the decimated Donetsk settlements of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, new maps show, as clashes wage on ahead of the second anniversary of all-out war in Ukraine.
Moscow's forces advanced east of the Donetsk town of Avdiivka, including along a key highway, in the past few days, according to the U.S.-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The Kremlin's fighters also "marginally advanced" southwest of the eastern city of Bakhmut on Sunday, northwest of the village of Klishchiivka, the think tank evaluated.
Russian military bloggers, which are influential voices in the 23-month-old war, said on Sunday that Russia had advanced northwest of Bakhmut, and around Avdiivka's northwestern outskirts, the think tank noted.
Prominent Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov said on Monday that Russia was just 1,200 meters from "the entrance to the city" Avdiivka.
"The destruction is extensive," he said in a post to messaging app Telegram. "Ours hold on and strike with all their might."
Newsweek has reached out to the Ukrainian military and Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.
Bakhmut and Avdiivka have been devastated by battles between Russia and Ukraine, both settlements dubbed "meat grinders." Fighting for Bakhmut was at its most intense in late 2022 and early 2023, before it was claimed by Russia in May last year.
Russia launched its onslaught on Avdiivka, southwest of Bakhmut, in early October 2023. The town, on the outskirts of the regional capital, Donetsk City, was a Ukrainian stronghold that had spent nearly a decade on the front lines in the contested Donetsk region.
Russia has paid a high price in casualties and equipment losses to try and encircle the settlement. But it has made consistent gains around Avdiivka.
Fighting has raged on northwest of the industrial town, close to the Avdiivka Coke Plant and the village of Stepove, the ISW evaluated on Sunday. Clashes were also reported to the southwest, and west of Avdiivka near the villages of Tonenke and Sieverne, the ISW added.
Geolocated footage from Sunday indicates Russia advanced northwest of Marinka, the ISW said. Marinka is a small settlement southwest of Avdiivka that Moscow claimed in late December.
Ukraine's military said on Monday that its fighters had "repelled" three Russian attacks near Klishchiivka and Bohdanivka, a village northwest of Bakhmut and close to the settlement of Chasiv Yar.
A Ukrainian fighter told rolling Ukrainian news on Sunday had advanced between 3 and just over 4 miles towards Chasiv Yar, although she did not specify the time frame. "Armored vehicles and tank columns are coming in here and there," added the National Guard fighter, named by Ukrainian media as Khrystyna Voyak.
Russia's Defense Ministry said on Sunday that its forces had attacked several Ukrainian brigades around Klishchiivka and Bohdanivka.
About the writer
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more