Russian Assault on Avdiivka Suffers Massive Casualties

Ukrainian soldiers in Avdiivka in October (Wikimedia Commons)

Russian forces assaulting the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka have suffered massive losses, including the loss of 1,400 soldiers in a single attack on October 20th. and some of their greatest defeats since the war began over the past several weeks. 

Avdiivka, a city in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, which Russia annexed last year, has been under heavy assault from Russian forces but has so far repelled their advances. The city has been a site of combat between Russian forces, separatists, and Ukrainian forces since the beginning of the conflict in 2014. 

So far, Russia has suffered thousands of casualties and their worst military defeat since February. On average, Russia has suffered nearly 1,000 casualties a day so far, and several hundred armored vehicles have been destroyed.

Russian tactics, until recently, have mostly involved sending combined infantry and armored vehicle assaults directly at the city across open fields with little cover, making them easy prey for Ukrainian artillery. However, they have recently switched tactics, opting for an encirclement strategy. They have also repeatedly shelled the area, destroying much of the city in an attempt to cut off the main road through which supplies enter. Only an estimated 1,600 of the city’s original 30,000 residents remain.

Many of the Russian forces have been sent out in ancient vehicles from the early Cold War. The Russian attackers consist largely of inexperienced conscripts, reservists, and local militiamen who have not seen much fighting. The death of so many Russian soldiers has led some Russian citizens to call for an end to the assault. Their grievances include that these soldiers are unprepared, under-equipped, and have been on deployment for over a year without leave since the first conscription order. 

The war has caused a growing demographic crisis in Russia. The nation has suffered over one million casualties since the war began, and nearly one million people have fled. Russia’s population is set to decrease drastically in the coming decades.

The introduction of conscription in September 2022 triggered large protests in Russia, with many fearing Russian men would be thrown on the front lines with little training and no clear end to their tour of service. The renewed spate of protests from the assault indicates the unpopularity of Russian tactics.

The situation will develop as Russia changes tactics. In an address on October 23, the Ukrainian Presidential Office thanked the Ukrainians defending the war-torn city. “I thank all of you, warriors, for a truly exemplary defense,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated. “It instills confidence throughout the country.”