Russian troops regroup and again advance on Avdiyivka - ISW
On October 20, russian troops resumed their offensive in the Avdiyivka area and advanced slightly. This is stated in the text of an analytical note from specialists of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) from Washington.
According to military analysts, the first russian offensive operation in the Avdiyivka area on October 10 resulted in significant losses of russian equipment, and the fact that russian forces regrouped and resumed the offensive indicates that either russian forces believe that they can realistically capture Avdiyivka, or that the russian military command does not prioritize offensive operations and does not take into account significant losses of equipment and personnel.
Geolocation images released on October 20 show that russian troops have advanced slightly to the west of Krasnohorivka (5 km north of Avdiyivka).
Russian military bloggers and a Ukrainian military observer claimed that russian forces had captured a Ukrainian stronghold near slagheap northeast of Avdiyivka, advanced to the train station north of Avdiyivka, and advanced near the Tsarska Okhota restaurant south of Avdiyivka.
Another prominent russian military blogger claimed that russian forces had unsuccessfully attacked near Sieverne (6 km west of Avdiyivka), south of Avdiyivka, near Stepove (8 km northwest of Avdiyivka) and near Novokalynove (11 km northwest of Avdiyivka).
Other military bloggers claimed that russian troops advanced up to one kilometer on the Stepove-Berdychi line (8-10 km northwest of Avdiyivka) on October 19, and that fighting near Berdychi continued on October 20.
The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces repelled russian attacks near Avdiivka, Novokalynove, Stepove, Pervomaiske (11 km southwest of Avdiyivka) and Sieverne.
The General Staff of Ukraine reported on October 20 that Ukrainian troops damaged and destroyed almost 50 russian tanks and more than 100 units of armored vehicles in the past day near Avdiyivka.
The Ukrainian military, operating in the Avdiyivka area, reported on October 20 that over the past four days, Ukrainian forces destroyed 200 units of russian armored vehicles.
The head of the Avdiyivka city military administration, Vitalii Barabash, said that the russian troops are trying to repair the damaged equipment while still in the field.
Footage released on October 20 shows Ukrainian forces striking a russian TOS-1 thermobaric artillery system near Avdiyivka.
A russian military blogger complained that the effectiveness of russian counter-battery fire near Avdiyivka was reduced due to poor communications and the inability to stockpile ammunition before the offensive.
ISW Key Findings for October 20:
On October 20, russian forces resumed the offensive in the Avdiyivka area and made a small advance, indicating that the russian military command remains committed to offensive operations in the area, despite significant losses of equipment and personnel.
On October 20, Ukrainian troops continued larger-than-usual ground operations on the eastern (left) bank of the Kherson Region, and their presence in a settlement on the eastern bank of the Dnieper was confirmed.
Russian and Ukrainian sources continue to indicate that russian units defending the eastern bank of the Kherson Region are relatively less combat-ready than other russian forces elsewhere on the front.
Ukrainian troops continued counteroffensive actions near Bakhmut and in the west of Zaporizhzhia Region, but did not confirm the offensive.
On October 19, russian president vladimir putin visited the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, Rostov Oblast, to discuss the combat situation in Ukraine with Chief of the General Staff valery gerasimov.
Russian troops conducted offensive operations along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, around Avdiyivka, west of Donetsk, near the border of the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia Region and in the west of Zaporizhzhia Region, and made limited progress in some areas.
The head of the Investigative Committee of russia, Alexander Bastrykin, said on October 20 that the russian authorities should deprive migrants of their acquired russian citizenship if they do not want to fight in Ukraine.