Avdiivka situation remains difficult, Ukraine keeps it stable — Musienko

Despite numerous Russian attacks and challenging conditions, Ukrainian forces managed to stabilize the situation, he said.

"There is no [enemy] progress in the advancement this week, nothing to record,” Musienko said.

“However, they are trying [to attack] from different directions. They are trying to resume pressure and active assaults on the Avdiivka Coke Plant. They made attempts, then retreated. Now they are trying again."

Avdiivka remains one of the key sectors for the Russian troops’ offensive, along with Kupyansk, he said.

"Over the next month and a half or two, until the forces they've mobilized for this winter offensive run out of steam, they'll persist in their attempts [to attack],” Musienko said.

“The enemy has a clear goal — to capture Avdiivka, to try to do it before the presidential elections.”

“If unsuccessful, they'll continue [to attack] as long as they have enough strength, resources, and means to do so."

Russian forces intensified their offensive on Avdiivka in October 2023, coinciding with mass strikes on the city.

In the first month of active assaults on Avdiivka, the aggressor country lost around 10,000 military personnel, said Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, ValeriiZaluzhnyi.

Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence service’s chief, declared in January that Russian losses in recent attempts to capture Avdiivka have significantly increased.