Russian generals are throwing their troops forward in their assault on the eastern town of Avdiivka despite suffering heavy losses, Ukraine has claimed.

“The enemy is trying to move forward and then we beat them back,” said Oleksandr Shtupun, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern groups of forces.

He estimated Russian losses in the last six days as 2,500 dead and wounded in the area.

”This is quite significant even for Russia, bearing in mind that they do not look after their own men,” he added.

Over the past two weeks, Russia has concentrated on Avdiivka in Donetsk, a town known in peacetime for its big coking plant and now seen as a bulwark of Ukrainian resistance.

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