Ukrainian and Russian troops are engaged in “fierce fighting” in the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiyivka, as Ukrainian forces set up new defensive positions around the besieged city, signaling, according to AFP, a possible retreat in the face of waves of Russian attacks. .

“Fierce fighting is going on inside the city,” Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, a Ukrainian general in the eastern regions, said on social media. “Our troops are using all available forces and all available means to repel the enemy,” he added.

According to him, “new positions have been created and strong fortifications are still being installed taking into account all possible scenarios.”

The US has warned that Russia could seize Avdiivka, a key eastern Ukrainian city that has seen some of the fiercest fighting in recent months.

“Avdiivka is at risk of falling under Russian control,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, citing Ukraine’s ammunition shortages.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to do everything to “save as many Ukrainian lives as possible.”

Russian troops have made progress on Avdiivka, threatening to encircle it.

The city, which has been almost completely destroyed, is seen as a gateway to nearby Donetsk, the regional capital of Ukraine seized by Russian-backed militants in 2014 and later illegally annexed by Moscow.

Source: APE, BBC