The Russian defence website SvPressa, citing various social media sources, reported that Stepove, a settlement north of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, is now controlled by the Russian army.
The Chronicle of His Conquest
The fighting in the Avdiivka sector continues with unabated intensity and according to the famous military blogger Nezalezhnaya the Ukrainians are doing everything in their power to keep themselves alive. More specifically, the blogger said that over the past 3 days, the Russians have carried out offensive operations in at least 16 different areas in this sector of the front. The industrial zone of Avdiivka is in the hands of the Russians.
The industrial zone of the city is located at an altitude compared to the rest of Avdiivka, which means that if the Russians have indeed taken it then they have also gained a significant advantage over the Ukrainian forces in the region.
Ukrainian General Shirsky, according to reports on Telegram channels, has concentrated a large number of manpower of the Ukrainian armed forces in the southern part of the city, trying to prevent the collapse of the Ukrainian defence line. He had ordered Kiev infantrymen to try to push back the Russians on 13-14 December, but Ukrainian efforts resulted in bloody casualties.
The new significant news cited by SvPressa is a message that appeared on the Internet and states: "This is it. Stepove (Petrovskoye) north of Avdiivka is ours. The children are gaining ground. This time the front is wide. There will be no attacks from the flanks. Everything was done right."
If these reports are confirmed, then the only route for the Ukrainian armed forces to transport supplies through Orlovka, which until recently was threatened by frequent Russian fire, can now be directly cut off by the Russian army, since the Russians have gained physical access to it.
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Έξαλλος ο Γκιουλέρ με τους Αμερικανούς: "Έχουν μάθει στους Κούρδους να πετάνε ελικόπτερα-Αν χρειαστεί θα χρησιμοποιήσουμε S-400"
Although some Ukrainian reports on the internet have started to talk about the surrender of Stepove, we are still waiting for official confirmation of the Russian occupation of the settlement by official bodies.
However, the Russians have been trying to move towards Stepove for several days now, slowly but surely making some progress towards the settlement. Their job has been difficult, but with coordinated infantry and artillery/drones kamikaze action they seem to have brought the Ukrainians, who are suffering from huge ammunition shortages, to their knees.
