Avdiivka campaign turns out to be biggest, most disastrous for Russian army — military expert

Russian commanders have a deadline to completely seize the city, but regardless of the outcome, invaders have lost the battle for Avdiivka long ago, writes military and political observer Oleksandr Kovalenko.

OBOZ.UA and the Information Resistance group report.

According to the expert, for four months, Avdiivka endured a siege by superior Russian forces. Putin marshaled tens of thousands of troops and extensive weaponry into the fortified area, transforming it into a brutal battleground.

It can now be asserted that this campaign by the Russian army has become the largest and most unsuccessful, considering the length of the frontline advance, the size and significance of the city.

Russia's losses

The total concentration of Russian occupying forces in the direction of Avdiivka reached 40,000, increasing as their advances faltered and drawing in forces from other areas. By the most conservative estimates, casualties suffered by Russian occupying forces over the four months exceeded 15,000 killed.

Speaking about lost equipment, Kovalenko notes that in this category he tried to take into account mostly verified destroyed and damaged units. However, data is often incomplete, and in reality there are more losses. Nevertheless, according to the verified figures alone, during the four months of fighting for a small town of less than 29 square kilometers, Russian troops lost 390 pieces of equipment, primarily tanks and armored personnel carriers.

Last week, Forbes released an article reporting that Russian forces lost 214 tanks during the advance on Avdiivka, based on verified information, equating to an entire tank division. These figures, verified as they are, appear to align closely with reality, suggesting the potential elimination of at least one tank division in Avdiivka. 

Considering the losses of Russian occupying forces over the four months nonlinearly and across categories beyond verified, the number of destroyed Russian equipment not only exceeds 500 units but may range from 600 to 700.

Therefore, the advance of the Russian occupying forces on Avdiivka stands as their largest and most successful campaign, considering the length of the frontline advance, the size and significance of the city.