After fierce fighting, Russia recently took control of the Ukrainian town of Avdiivika in eastern Ukraine. Shortly afterwards came the news that Ukraine withdrew from the smaller towns of Sieverne and Stepove, just west of Avdiivika.
Despite the fact that Avdiivika is not considered to have any major strategic importance for Russia, they invested heavily in taking the city. The capture of the city was described as Russia’s biggest military success since it captured Bakhmut last May.
“To avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of soldiers, I decided to withdraw our units from the city to defend more favorable front lines,” Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a statement after leaving Avdiivika.
Ukraine said that Avdiivika was subjected to such heavy bombardment that they “practically wiped the city off the face of the earth”.
Dismal numbers for Russia
According to the British Ministry of Defence, the small Russian successes have been expensive. Since the war started in February 2022, the ministry has kept statistics on the number of wounded and dead Russian soldiers.
In October last year, the number of wounded and dead on the Russian side began to increase, and in February a grim record was set – when an average of 983 Russian soldiers died or were wounded a day.
“The rising daily average most likely indicates Russia’s determination for a war of mass and attrition. Although costly in terms of human lives, it has resulted in increased pressure on Ukraine’s frontline positions,” writes the British Ministry of Defence.
The ministry estimates that around 355,000 Russian soldiers have been injured or killed since the war began.
Big losses even in the air
Recently, the Ukrainian army has also shot down a large number of Russian aircraft. According to the American think tank, this suggests that Russia is willing to take increasingly greater risks even in the air – if it can lead to tactical advantages on the battlefield.
Last Saturday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced that it had shot down another Russian Su-34 fighter jet.
“Destroying Russian warplanes is a new fantastic tradition,” the ministry wrote on X.
The ISW think tank believes that previous losses of Russian aircraft have led to a reduction in aviation activity over the whole of Ukraine, this has not happened now.
“The increased rate of Russian air losses in recent weeks has not yet caused the Russian forces to reduce tactical air activity,” ISW writes.
A total of 15 planes are said to have been shot down recently, which ISW, however, believes is not a devastating loss for Russia, as they have access to a large number of fighter planes.