Increasing number of "meat grinder assaults" near Avdiivka: Ukrainian soldier on Russia's tactics

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"They (the Russian military - ed.) want to live, and because of this, they are looking for all options to prolong their miserable lives. We are talking about ‘meat assaults’ - as practice has shown, this is one of the few effective means of warfare that the Russians manage from time to time. They have been using ‘meat assaults’ sporadically to push the situation in Soledar and Bakhmut," he said.

Varchenko emphasized that Russia managed to advance in some places due to "meat assaults" when Russia deploys dozens or hundreds more of their military than the normally authorized number of troops.

"We understand that even today, when they have nothing to please their voters before the New Year, they will resort to the way they find effective. But this is rather an exception. They refrained from these ‘meat assaults’ for six months, they tried to save their lives, they entrenched  deeper. And in the end, the military leadership decides that in order for Putin to have something to say at the end of the year, they need to launch ‘meat assaults,’" the military added.

Russian offensive on the key city of Avdiivka in eastern Donetsk region

On October 11, the Institute for the Study of War noted that the Russian occupying army had intensified its offensive around Avdiivka in the Donetsk region. The city has been a frontline one for almost 10 years, and now Russian troops are trying to encircle it.

The Ukrainian General Staff reported that in the Avdiivka direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled 10 attacks near Avdiivka and another 8 attacks east of Stepove and southeast of Sieverne in the Donetsk region.

The head of Avdiivka City Military Administration, Vitaliy Barabash, reported shelling of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, which killed an elderly man and wounded two civilians.

On October 12, experts of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) named the real reasons for the Russian offensive on Avdiivka.

Vitaliy Barabash, head of the Avdiivka City Military Administration, noted that Russian troops are trying to concentrate their forces north of the city, launching assault operations.

On October 13, the ISW reported that in three days, Russian troops had captured 4.52 square kilometers of territory from different directions near Avdiivka. The occupying Russian army suffered significant losses in equipment and manpower.