[Russia] - Ukraine Says Russia Ramping Up Attacks on Avdiivka

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Ukraine said Wednesday that Russian forces had ratcheted up attacks on the nearly-encircled industrial town of Avdiivka in the eastern
line since 2014 and is part of the Donetsk region, which the Kremlin has claimed to have annexed along with three other regions.Russia
launched a renewed bid to capture the war-torn town last month and analysts suggest Moscow's forces have made incremental gains."Over the
past day, the enemy has significantly increased its activity
It is using armored vehicles," Oleksandr Tarnavsky, the Ukrainian commander responsible for the territory, said.He said Russian forces had
carried out nearly 20 airstrikes, launched four missiles and thrown 56 assault waves at his forces, as well as fired more than 1,000
artillery rounds.Tarnavsky said that Ukrainian forces were "firmly holding the line along the Avdiivka front," though this claim could not
be independently verified.Neither side has made significant breakthroughs on the battlefield for weeks, as Moscow's invasion approaches