Russia's goal in Avdiivka is to capture large number of Ukrainian military — military expert Stupak

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"The invaders hope to capture a large number of Ukrainian soldiers and, if possible, eliminate them. They are also interested in Western equipment, ammunition, they also want to seize this," he said.

According to him, the task of Russian forces in the Avdiivka direction is to push Ukrainian troops away from Donetsk.

"Today, the invaders are pushing near Avdiivka, deploying a lot of people and equipment. The Russians need to take the city, they have 5-6 km left, which they are counting, to cut off our communication at the narrowest point and, as they say, ‘the Avdiivka garrison will be surrounded.’” 

For Russian troops, it is important to capture Avdiivka before the elections in Russia, noted Stupak.

"This is no longer a city, but a location. Even if the Russians manage to capture Avdiivka, no one in Russia will restore it. Avdiivka is important for Russians just before the elections. If they manage to capture it, they will dedicate all Christmas holidays to this ‘victory’," he added.

• Roman Svitan, military expert, colonel with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in reserve, military pilot-instructor, believes that it is optimal for Ukraine to hold Avdiivka, because retreating 20 km to the second line of defense could collapse the entire front.
• According to the morning report of the Ukrainian General Staff, the majority of Russian attacks were repelled by the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Avdiivka and Bakhmut directions.