Ukraine has sent one of its top brigade to save the town of Avdiivka.

Russian troops are engaged in fighting with Ukrainian forces inside the beleaguered town which has been under sustained Russian assault since mid-October.

Ukraine’s decision to send its third assault brigade, which led the Bakhmut counter-offensive over the summer, to defend the city, is indicative of the strategic importance it holds.

Russian forces continued to make advances around Avdiivka over the weekend, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported. Gelocated footage shows newly gained positions for Moscow’s troops both in southern Avdiivka and in northern parts of the critically important city still held by Ukrainian troops.

Vitalii Barabash, the head of the city’s military administration, said last week that the situation around Avdiivka, a besieged front-line town in Donetsk Oblast, is becoming “very difficult,” even critical in some areas.

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