November 23-29 live war map: record elimination of Russian troops near Avdiivka, drones in Moscow

News from the Avdiivka front this week

It is becoming evident that, as a result of the extensive assaults on Avdiivka, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are on track to set a new record for enemy elimination in November, surpassing 25,000. This figure significantly exceeds the mobilization capabilities of the invaders, who are conducting 20-30 daily assaults on the city from various directions.

However, the effectiveness of these intense assaults has been extremely low over the past week. The Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to stabilize the front both in southern and northern directions. Despite crossing the railroad for a considerable distance, the Russians were unable to advance to Stepove, where they were repelled by the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The invaders' offensives east of Novobakhmutivka and south of Novokalynove were equally unsuccessful.

Russia’s only, and therefore highly publicized, success was the advance of several hundred meters within the industrial buildings' zone overlooking the Donetsk-Yasynuvata road junction. However, firstly, the fighting there is still ongoing and the zone has not been surrendered yet. And, secondly, there is a long lowland immediately behind it that will become a large burial ground for Russian assault brigades. Therefore, the Russian news narratives regarding the imminent surrender of Avdiivka are unfounded. The fighting for the city will continue for a long time. It is likely that December will witness an escalation in the intensity of the fighting, as there is a “Christmas gift” being prepared for Putin.

Battle for Bakhmut map

To the south of the city, intense fighting persisted throughout the week around Klishchiivka and Andriivka. The invaders have been trying to regain lost ground for two weeks. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are currently in a stalemate, but there are no signs of losing any positions.

Map of the war with Russia: drone war in Kyiv and Moscow

Russian forces are intensively preparing for massive missile attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure. To do this, they are conducting reconnaissance with drones and simultaneously attacking Kyiv.

On November 25, Kyiv was subjected to the largest drone attack in this war. Out of 75 drones, Ukrainian air defense shot down 74. However, the Russians started attacking the capital two days earlier. On November 23, after missiles hit critical infrastructure, the city partly plunged into darkness for a day.

On the night of November 26, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched 36 drones in response. Despite the Russian Armed Forces' claims that all targets were hit, explosions were recorded near Moscow at the Lytkarino power plant and a substation in Lublin, as well as a transformer station in Moscow itself.

In addition, drones hit targets at the Smolensk Aviation Plant, the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, which produced engines for tanks, and a plant in Tula that is still under construction. The Grad and Smerch MLRS systems are manufactured here.

Ukrainian Armed Forces are striking Crimea

At the same time, drones paid a “visit” to Dzhankoy, where they burned down a Russian military unit that was full of ammunition. They also “visited” a military airfield near Novofedorivka and military facilities in Sevastopol. The detailed results of these raids are not yet known.

Map of the counteroffensive on the southern front, Tokmak direction

Although the counteroffensive seems to be over officially, the Ukrainian military continues to win back Ukrainian land from the occupiers. In the past week, the Ukrainian Armed Forces achieved a significant victory by completely ousting Russian troops from the strategically important 140-meter high hill that overlooks Verbove. Subsequently, the retreating Russian forces withdrew to the village for defense.

At the same time, Ukrainian soldiers managed to recapture a number of positions between Robotyne and Kopani, thus further expanding the gap in the Russian defense towards Tokmak. Other parts of the front remained unchanged.

In the Berdyansk direction, the Russian Armed Forces advanced about a kilometer into the gray zone north of Pryiutne and approached Ukrainian redoubts west of Staromayorske.     

Active hostilities map on the left bank of the Kherson region

The Russians' movement on the left bank of the Kherson region is exceptionally chaotic. Not least because the Ukrainian Armed Forces' accurate strikes have disrupted the controllability of their army. For example, recently Ukrainian missiles destroyed a command post of special forces units near Oleshky Sands.

Russia has been attacking the village of Krynky from the north and from the south, but without results. They also tried to push the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of the solar substation north of Pidstepne. Fighting continues near Oleshky and Pishchanivka.

Nevertheless, Russian troops are trying to drive the Ukrainian Defense Forces out of the Left Bank, and therefore have deployed new units to the area, increasing the contingent to 68,000 soldiers.

However, the most interesting fact is that the Russians are not bringing the new units to the front line, but are deploying them near the Crimean Isthmus, as if preparing for a deep defense.

The maps were created based on information received from the General Staff of the Armed Ukrainian Forces, as well as other open and verified sources. However, the maps are not completely accurate and only conditionally reflect trends in the combat zone.