(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Ukraine Invasion Day 606: another Russian offensive effort towards Avdiivka repelled [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-21 Ukrainian forces have likely repelled another intensified Russian offensive effort towards Avdiivka in the past several days and inflicted further heavy personnel and equipment losses on Russian troops in the area. Ukrainian and Russian sources indicated that Russian forces mounted another offensive push on Avdiivka between October 19 and 20, and geolocated footage posted on October 21 confirms that Russian forces did make marginal gains northwest of Avdiivka in the waste heap area.[1] ... A Ukrainian military observer noted that Russian forces are attacking towards Stepove (3km northwest of Avdiivka), towards Novokalynove (7km north of Avdiivka), and towards the waste heap from the Krasnohorivka-Vesele area.[3] However, Ukrainian military officials noted that Russian forces have somewhat decreased the pace of offensive operations near Avdiivka on October 21, and reiterated earlier Ukrainian reporting that Russian forces lost 50 tanks, 100 armored vehicles, and 900 personnel during attacks on Avdiivka on October 19.[4] Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center Head Ants Kiviselg notably identified the Avdiivka push as a potential avenue for a new Russian offensive alongside offensive operations along the Kharkiv-Luhansk Oblast border.[5] The fact that Russian forces continue to recommit waves of personnel and equipment to offensive efforts in the Avdiivka area suggests that Russian command will continue to prioritize this axis, despite high losses and the general low quality of Russian forces on the offensive.[6] A Ukrainian military official noted that Russia's regular infantry and tactics writ large are "consistently bad" and that Russian forces are relying instead on unmanned aerial systems (such as Lancet drones), artillery, and aviation.[7] It appears that Russian forces are continuing to use ineffective and costly tactics in offensive efforts near Avdiivka leading to high personnel and vehicle losses, and that they have continuously done so in several waves of attacks over the past week suggests that the Russian military command is prioritizing this axis, despite continued and growing losses. www.understandingwar.org/... x In the Avdiivka sector, Russian occupiers have started digging tunnels closer to Ukrainian troops' positions, said Anton Kotsukon, spokesperson for the 110th separate mechanized brigade named after Major General Marko Bezruchko. — Hromadske Int. (@Hromadske) October 21, 2023 www.understandingwar.org/... x 🎥Soldiers of Ukrainian 110th Mechanized Brigade repelling Russian attacks in the area of Avdiivka. #UkraineRussiaWar pic.twitter.com/a1i3IjxRom — MilitaryLand.net (@Militarylandnet) October 21, 2023 x We spent decades outsourcing the Arsenal of Democracy in the name of maximizing shareholder value. It will take a considerable amount of time to relearn the skills required to support the industries needed to rebuild the Arsenal ... https://t.co/oRvMBCmXN3 — Richard Field (@tyillc) October 21, 2023 At least six people have died in a Russian missile strike on a postal centre in Kharkiv region, the local governor has said . Fourteen more were injured, of which seven were “fighting for their lives”, said governor Oleh Synehubov. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shared a video on Saturday night showing what appeared to be a heavily damaged warehouse surrounded by rubble and a container with the logo of Ukrainian postal operator Nova Poshta. He said it was a civilian facility and urged Ukraine’s allies to unite in the “fight against terror”. x This is a department of the biggest private post service in Ukraine, #NovaPoshta (New Post). It is based in Kharkiv. Russian missile hit it at night. At least six dead and 14 wanted. #stopRussianAggression pic.twitter.com/EwJcac5iU8 — Iuliia Mendel (@IuliiaMendel) October 21, 2023 Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, talked to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on Saturday, Zelenskiy said, in a call in which the two leaders discussed Ukraine’s peace formula, food security, and the situation in the Middle East. Turkey will take part in peace talks next week to discuss ways to end the Ukraine conflict, Zelenskiy said. Turkey has offered itself as a mediator between the two warring parties, helping to broker a deal in July last year that allowed safe grain exports via the Black Sea. Moscow’s drive to capture the town of Avdiivka encountered fierce resistance on Saturday, Ukraine’s military said , with defences bolstered by fortifications erected nearly a decade ago. “The enemy is becoming more active, but is incurring heavy losses,” General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukraine’s troops in the south, said on Telegram. Russia’s Defence Ministry, in its evening report, made no mention of Avdiivka, but reported strikes on areas outside Bakhmut, a town seized by Moscow’s forces in May after months of battles. Both towns are in the eastern Donetsk region. Russia struck areas of eastern and southern Ukraine with artillery and missiles on Friday and Saturday , killing at least three people and injuring others, officials said. The fatal attacks were in Nikopol, Kryvyi Rih and Kherson region. Three more children have been rescued from Russia and brought back to Ukraine , the Ukrainian parliament’s commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets , wrote on X, formerly Twitter. More than a third of the territory of Ukraine is contaminated with mines and explosive objects due to the war with Russia, the general staff of the armed forces of Ukraine posted on Telegram. Germany will reportedly provide an additional €200m (£175m) to Ukraine to support the country’s restoration of its education and healthcare systems, its drinking water supplies, and the reconstruction of its cities. www.theguardian.com/... Key Takeaways: Ukrainian forces have likely repelled another intensified Russian offensive effort towards Avdiivka in the past several days and inflicted further heavy personnel and equipment losses on Russian troops in the area. Russian forces are struggling to interdict Ukrainian efforts to supply and reinforce newly captured positions on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast. Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations near Bakhmut and in western Zaporizhia Oblast on October 21. Russian forces may be diversifying the mix of missiles, guided bombs, and drones used in strikes on Ukrainian rear areas, likely in an attempt to find gaps in Ukrainian air defenses ahead of further strikes over the winter. Disgraced Moscow City Duma Deputy Yevgeny Stupin formally requested on October 20 that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) investigate Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin for “divulging state secrets." Russian forces continued offensive operations along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, near Avdiivka, southwest of Donetsk City, in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area, and in western Zaporizhia Oblast and advanced in various sectors of the front. The Russian federal government is reportedly taking steps to rectify some discrepancies in the treatment of personnel in irregular and regular formations. www.understandingwar.org/... x ⚡️ WAR IN #UKRAINE - OCT 21 ■ Strikes & engagements below 7-day average ■ Troop losses drop but well above long-term average ■ Triple-digit equipment losses, APVs at record level See dashboard for further analysis 📈 https://t.co/DU6d6Ppj6t pic.twitter.com/QxX3FG1qxt — Ragnar Gudmundsson 🇮🇸🇺🇦 (@ragnarbjartur) October 21, 2023 Russian Subordinate Main Effort #1 – Luhansk Oblast (Russian objective: Capture the remainder of Luhansk Oblast and push westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast and northern Donetsk Oblast) Russian forces continued offensive operations along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line on October 21 and made recent confirmed advances in the Kupyansk area. Geolocated footage published on October 21 indicates that Russian forces advanced southwest of Lyman Pershyi (11km northeast of Kupyansk) in the direction of Kalynove (8km northeast of Kupyansk).[30] Additional geolocated footage published on October 17 and 20 indicates that Russian forces also recently advanced north of Ivanivka (21km southeast of Kupyansk).[31] The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces repelled more than 20 Russian assaults near Synkivka (9km northeast of Kupyansk) and Ivanivka; more than five Russian assaults near Nadiya (15km southwest of Svatove); and 10 Russian assaults near Bilohorivka (12km south of Kreminna), in the Serebryanske forest area (11km south of Kreminna), and near Spirne (24km south of Kreminna).[32] The Ukrainian General Staff also reported that Ukrainian forces prevented Russian forces from advancing near Nevske (20km northwest of Kreminna).[33] www.understandingwar.org/... www.understandingwar.org/... Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2 – Donetsk Oblast (Russian objective: Capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast, the claimed territory of Russia’s proxies in Donbas) Russian forces continued ground attacks around Bakhmut on October 21 but did not make any claimed or confirmed gains. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces conducted unsuccessful attacks near Vasyukivka (11km north of Bakhmut), Bohdanivka (5km northwest of Bakhmut) Khromove (1km west of Bakhmut), and Klishchiivka (5km southwest of Bakhmut).[38] The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) posted footage reportedly showing signalmen of the 98th Airborne (VDV) Division operating near Bakhmut.[39] Ukrainian military observer Konstantyn Mashovets reported that Russian forces are concentrating their main efforts near Kurdyumivka (13km southwest of Bakhmut) and Zelenopillya (12km southwest of Bakhmut) and trying to equip a defense line along the T05013 road on the Opytne-Zaitseve-Odradivka-Mykolaivka Druha line.[40] www.understandingwar.org/... www.understandingwar.org/... www.understandingwar.org/... www.understandingwar.org/... www.understandingwar.org/... www.understandingwar.org/... x #Avdiivka « Another attempt by the occupiers to take us in numbers...! They throw all their strength into the assault. However, this is not the first day we have been fighting, we know where and how they will go. They only manage to “fight like a fish on ice.” We destroy… pic.twitter.com/SIUPmNqei7 — ✙ Albina Fella ✙ 🇺🇦🇬🇧🇫🇷🇩🇪🇵🇱🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺 (@albafella1) October 21, 2023 x For example, Ukrainian company Falcons created a cost-effective direction finder ETER, which identifies the source of emissions from enemy radios, EW systems, and UAVs: https://t.co/3XwJZTQbEI — Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 22, 2023 [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/21/2200795/-Ukraine-Invasion-Day-606-another-Russian-offensive-effort-towards-Avdiivka-repelled?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/