Russian troops try to surround Vuhledar, force Ukrainian army to retreat

Oleksandr Voitko, a serviceman with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said this on Espreso TV. 

"The enemy realizes that it is 30 kilometers from Vuhledar to Volnovakha. Volnovakha is now an important logistics hub for the Russians, so they are trying to surround this foothold," said the Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman.

Positional fighting continues south of Vuhledar. Voitko spoke about unsuccessful attempts by the invading Russian troops to attack in this area.

"The Russian forces have recently tried to advance to the northeast. Since they cannot get close to Vuhledar from the south, they tried to advance towards Novomykhailivka, but they suffered significant losses there as well, and they have not made any major advances," the serviceman said.

Speaking about the direction from Velyka Novosilka, active fighting continues there, says Voitko.

"Ukrainian Armed Forces units are trying to carry out actions that will allow them to move south, inflicting fire on the Russian invaders in Pryiutne, Zavitne Bazhannya, Novodonetske," noted Voitko.

He compared the fighting for Vuhledar to the current situation in Avdiivka.

"The first phase of these battles is similar. There was a massive assault in Vuhledar, and we have seen it now. But in Vuhledar, although the situation was difficult, it was easier because there was no enemy advance from the flanks. Thanks to the heroism of our military and successful actions of our commanders, we were able to repel all the attacks. In Avdiivka, unfortunately, we see that the enemy has made some advances on the flanks. However, our garrison is holding on and we believe it will hold out, inflict significant losses on the enemy and they will not be able to surround or capture the city," summarized Voitko.

• On October 27, the Institute for the Study of War reported that heavy losses around Vuhledar likely prevented Russian commanders from launching sustained mechanized assaults in other parts of Ukraine later in the winter-spring offensive of 2023.