Russia may be able to encircle Avdiivka — Ukrainian Colonel Hrabskyi

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

"It is impossible to say that the enemy (Russia - ed.) will not be able to close the ring around Avdiivka because it is not about military expediency, but about political one. There is such a thing as quantitative indicators: when you are standing in a trench and 10-15 people are attacking you, it is clear that it is extremely difficult to hold this position. Especially if these 10-15 soldiers are coming under the cover of very heavy and powerful artillery fire. It is with these methods, ignoring the losses that go beyond military expediency, that the Russian army is trying to break through Ukraine's defense," the military expert commented.

According to him, this is why there are desperate and fierce battles along the road leading from Avdiivka to the north, and similar battles continue in the southern direction, in particular near the village of Sievierne.

"We are trying to counterattack the enemy, but this once again shows how serious the fighting is. The Coke plant is a key position because we already have Azovstal's experience and understand how important and powerful this facility can be if it is defended and how difficult it is for the enemy to storm it. That is why the situation near Avdiivka is extremely complicated, especially given the level of importance of this settlement for the entire structure of Ukraine's defense in the eastern direction. From a certain perspective, we need to understand that the loss of Avdiivka can seriously complicate the situation for Ukraine’s forces both on the eastern and southern fronts," summarized Serhiy Hrabskiy.

• On October 30, the head of the Avdiivka city military administration, Vitaliy Barabash, said that the invaders were regrouping near Avdiivka. A new wave of assaults is expected in the coming days.
• The Institute for War Studies noted that the Russian occupation forces are probably preparing for another wave of ground attacks near Avdiivka, Donetsk region, despite their heavy losses. Later, Barabash said that there was no third wave of attacks on Avdiivka yet, but the Russian army was keeping the tension around the city.
• On November 8, it was reported that the last 16 employees of the Avdiivka Coke Plant had been evacuated.
• Estonian intelligence chief Ants Kiviselg said that Russians will try to capture Avdiivka by the end of the year,  despite the fact that the city has no strategic importance.