Here's the latest from the frontline in Ukraine as Russia's grinding invasion nears its second year.
ADVERTISEMENTUkraine said on Thursday it was withdrawing troops from some parts of the eastern town of Avdiivka to better positions after months of heavy fighting.
Ukraine's Third Assault Brigade, considered to be one of the country's largest and best-equipped brigades, confirmed that it was "urgently" redeployed to Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast, adding that the situation in the area is "hell" and "extremely critical".
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which is monitoring the Ukrainian conflict closely, says there are no confirmed changes to the frontline in this area.
However, Russian sources claim that Russian forces have advanced to or even beyond the main Ukrainian ground line of communication through Avdiivka.
Ukrainian military sources say that the supply and evacuation of Avdiivka has become challenging, but that alternative logistic routes that were prepared in advance have been activated.
Meanwhile, the UK Ministry of Defence recently reported that the average number of Russian casualties per day in Ukraine rose by almost 300 during 2023. In early December, the ministry reported that the assaults on Avdiivka had resulted in a 90% increase in Russian casualties.
According to the ISW, Russian authorities may be generating enough new forces to sustain losses caused by the current tempo of their offensive operations in Ukraine through 2025.
However, if Russian losses continue at the current rate over the next year, the country will have lost more than half a million personnel since invading Ukraine.
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