Russia suffers setbacks across Ukraine frontline as rains stall Putin’s ‘third wave’

Russian president’s forces ‘regrouping’ to attack Avdiivka after failed second wave of attacks, says Kyiv

Ukrainian troops have repelled several Russian assaults in the past 24 hours in separate parts of the country as heavy rain has spoiled Vladimir Putin’s plan to recapture the strategic city of Avdiivka for a third time, officials said.

The General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine said its troops beat back at least 15 attacks near Kupiansk in northeastern Ukraine and 18 attacks near Maryinka further south, where heavy fighting has been concentrated for months.

It said nine attacks were repelled in and near Avdiivka, which has been subjected to intense fighting. Moscow looks to recapture the strategic city that is a crucial gateway to Donetsk, the primary communication hub within the occupied territories.

Moscow has already made two failed advances to recapture the industrial city that has been described as the “next Bakhmut”, which has seen some of the most intense fighting since the Russian invasion began last year.

Several days of rain on the battlefield, however, have stalled Mr Putin’s third major advance and ruled out any new Russian movements, Vitaliy Barabash, head of Avdiivka’s military administration said.

“We’ve had nearly a week of heavy rain. The terrain is too difficult and equipment cannot move,” the official said.

Russian forces have been targeting Avdiivka with artillery for the past week, Mr Barabash said.

“The third wave will definitely happen. The enemy is regrouping after a second wave of unsuccessful attacks,” he said.

He said the last 16 workers who were keeping the coking plant in the city operational have been evacuated.

Only two doctors and four nurses have remained in the city that had a pre-war population of 32,000, he said. “These are our city’s angels,” Mr Barabash told the television.

Both sides are facing technological and tactical parity on the battlefield, resulting in the slow-grinding war in eastern areas of the 1,000km frontline, even though president Volodymyr Zelensky has rebuffed reports of a stalemate by his own commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhny.

Russian military bloggers actively following the war have also reported on the fighting there, according to The Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

One milblogger said Ukrainian forces crossed the railway near Andriivka, about 98km away from Avdiivka.

Another milblogger claimed Ukrainian forces are entrenched in forest areas near Verbove, around 206km away from Avdiivka, and added that Russia’s forces are lacking in control of the airspace, further complicating Russian artillery fire on these positions.

Yet another pro-war Russian military blogger cited by the think-tank said Ukraine is committed to an “exhausting war” against Russia and that Russia needs “enormous combat potential” and an “accurate calculation” of its capabilities to beat Ukraine.