Russian troops seize Avdiyivka sewage treatment facilities – ISW

On Friday, December 8, russian troops conducted offensive operations near Avdiyivka and captured the city's sewage treatment facilities.

This is stated in another daily report from analysts of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) from Washington.

Geolocation footage released on December 8 shows that russian troops have advanced to the treatment facilities south of Krasnohorivka (5 km northwest of Avdiyivka).

ISW also reports with reference to russian sources that on December 7 and 8, russian troops advanced in the direction of Novokalynove (13 km northeast of Avdiyivka) to the outskirts of the Avdiyivka Coke Plant northwest of Avdiyivka and in the industrial zone southeast of Avdiyivka.

Russian military bloggers said on December 8 that russian troops were strengthening positions in Stepove (3 km northwest of Avdiyivka) and clearing the settlement, while another russian military blogger claimed that russian forces were holding positions on the eastern outskirts of Stepove.

The General Staff of Ukraine reported that russian troops unsuccessfully attacked east of Novobakhmutivka (9 km northwest of Avdiyivka); south of Tonenke (5 km west of Avdiyivka); near Stepove, Avdiyivka, and Pervomaiske (10 km southwest of Avdiyivka).

Russian sources also claimed on December 7 and 8 that russian troops attacked north of the Avdiyivka coke plant and near Ocheretyne (15 km northwest of Avdiyivka), Novokalynove, and Sieverne (6 km west of Avdiyivka and the industrial zone).

On December 8, positional battles continued in the directions of Vodiane (7 km southwest of Avdiyivka) and Tonenke.

A russian source claims that difficult weather conditions have slowed down the pace of russian and Ukrainian operations near Avdiyivka.

Oleksandr Shtupun, the spokesman for the Defense Forces of the Tavria Axis, said that more than 40,000 russian troops are fighting in the area of Avdiyivka and that the russian troops are redeploying the reserves of Storm-Z units and mobilizing personnel, who lack drilling and food, to gather more cannon food for losses.

On December 8, russian troops continued their offensive in the west of the Zaporizhzhia Region and advanced. Geolocation images released on December 7 show that russian troops are advancing south of Robotyne in the direction of Novoprokopivka (2 km south of Robotyne).

On December 8, the General Staff of Ukraine announced that Ukrainian troops had repelled russian ground attacks near Robotyne and west of Verbove. Ukrainian military observer Kostiantyn Mashovets said that russian troops are taking advantage of the reduced pace of Ukrainian offensive actions in the Zaporizhzhia Region to reorganize the grouping of forces and create operational reserves but noted that currently, russian troops could not allocate significant resources to these reserves.

ISW Key Findings for December 8:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his presidential bid for 2024 on December 8 in an obviously staged effort to seem that he was running at the request of russian servicemen.
• Putin's announcement of his presidential bid in a military setting indicates that his campaign may focus on russia's war in Ukraine more than ISW previously assessed. However, the extent of this focus is unclear at this time.
• Russian forces conducted a series of missile and drone strikes against Ukraine on the night of December 7 to 8.
• Imprisoned ardent nationalist and former russian officer Igor Girkin forecasted on December 7 that there will be "no agreement" between russia and Ukraine to end the war and" no freeze" of the frontlines in Ukraine, marking a notable shift from Girkin's prior claims that the russian military intended to "freeze the frontline" until after the russian presidential elections.
• The russian military has reportedly banned the use of civilian cars for military purposes, likely as part of ongoing formalization efforts, sparking criticisms from russian milbloggers.
• The russian Federal Security Service (FSB) is expanding its ability to guard russian officials and entities abroad, likely to better surveil russian and international actors outside of russian territory.
• Russian occupation officials continue efforts to artificially alter the demographic composition of occupied Ukraine.
• Ukraine's partners continued to announce military and financial aid packages to Ukraine recently.
• Russian forces conducted offensive operations along the Kupiyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, near Avdiyivka, west and southwest of Donetsk City, in the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia Region border area, and western Zaporizhzhia Region and made confirmed advances near Avdiyivka and in western Zaporizhzhia Region.
• Udmurt Republic Head Alexander Brechalov announced on December 7 that the region formed and will soon deploy four new units to fight in Ukraine.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on December 8 that russia is trying to destroy Ukrainian children's connection to Ukraine and that swift intervention is necessary to maintain this connection during a speech at the first meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children.
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