Russia advances towards Avdiivka from all directions

Russia surrounds Avdiivka?

The British Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update on 28 November that Russian forces had made small advances in recent days on the northern axis of the pincer movement aimed at encircling the town of Avdiivka. Since October, Russia has pushed the frontline up by 2km, which is considered one of the biggest advances by its forces since the spring, although it has also suffered thousands of casualties. Moscow did not comment on this information.

Ukrainian soldiers fight in Avdiivka on November 8.

The operation is gradually bringing Russian troops closer to the Avdiivka coke and chemical plant, where Ukrainian forces maintain one of the main defensive points. According to the British Ministry of Defence, Ukraine still controls a corridor of about 7 km wide, allowing it to continue supplying Avdiivka.

Vitaliy Barabash, head of Ukraine's military administration in Avdiivka, admitted the situation in the town had become more difficult as fighting intensified, according to Reuters. "The Russians have opened up two more areas, from where they have begun attacks towards Donetsk and the so-called industrial zone. The enemy is trying to storm the city from all directions," Mr. Barabash said.

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Russian forces have been attacking Avdiivka since mid-October. Ukrainian officials say not a single building in the town remains intact. Fewer than 1,500 of the pre-war population of 32,000 remain in Avdiivka.

The town was briefly controlled by pro-Russian separatists in 2014. Ukraine later retook it and built fortifications around it. It is considered a gateway to the city of Donetsk, the capital of the Russian-controlled region of the same name.

In a statement on November 28, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had destroyed a Ukrainian UAV training center and three radar stations in the past 24 hours, according to TASS. Russia repelled four Ukrainian attacks in Kupiansk, one in Zaporizhzhia, eliminated 40 soldiers in Lyman, 210 soldiers in Donetsk and southern Donetsk, 40 soldiers in Kherson, six UAVs and two rockets launched from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in the past day.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials accused Russian artillery shells of hitting an apartment building and several private homes on November 28, killing four people and injuring at least five. Russia has consistently denied accusations that its military targets civilians.

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Ukraine confirms poisoning

Ukrainian media reported on November 28 that Marianna Budanova, wife of Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Military Intelligence Service (HUR), had been poisoned with heavy metals. HUR spokesman Andriy Yusov later confirmed the information and said that Budanova was being treated in hospital.

The BBC's Ukrainian service quoted Mr Yusov as saying that some HUR officials had also suffered milder symptoms of poisoning. Ukrainska Pravda, citing sources, said the poisoning was likely carried out through food.

Ms. Marianna Budanova and Mr. Kyrylo Budanov in January

It is not yet clear who was behind the poisoning and what the motive was. Mr Yusov said the investigation would shed light but "a main hypothesis" was Russia's involvement, according to AFP. Moscow did not immediately comment.

Mr Budanov and his wife are believed to have been the targets of several assassination attempts. Mr Budanov is considered the mastermind behind several Ukrainian operations against Russia. A Moscow court in April ordered Mr Budanov's arrest on terrorism charges, Russian media reported.

NATO calls for continued support for Ukraine

NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on November 28

NATO members on November 28 urged not to let up on support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, according to AFP. The stalemate on the battlefield combined with doubts about US support has led to fears that Ukraine may have to accept a compromise from a weak position due to insufficient support from the West.

"We have to continue on the path. This is a matter of security interests," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the NATO dialogue aimed to strongly reaffirm support for Ukraine.

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Mr Stoltenberg is confident that the US will continue to provide military aid to Ukraine because it is in the US security interest. He cited recent pledges of €10 billion to Ukraine by Germany and the Netherlands as evidence of the alliance's continued commitment to Kyiv. "Although the front line has not moved much, Ukraine has been able to inflict heavy damage on Russian forces," Mr Stoltenberg said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he did not see any pressure from backing countries to start negotiations with Russia.

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