Russian troops are fighting Ukrainian forces in the besieged city of Avdiyivka, which has been under continuous Russian attack since mid-October, the Ukrainian military said on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Russian troops were trying to push into the city, known for its huge factory and considered the gateway to the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk, 20 km to the east.

“I can confirm this – yes, clashes are taking place not only in the area of ​​private houses in the north of the city, but also inside the city itself,” Ukrainian military spokesman Dmytro Likhovy told national television.

According to him, the Russian troops were concentrated to the north of the city in order to cut off the only supply route of the Ukrainian troops to the city. According to him, the situation is “difficult, but manageable.”

Affected by hostilities in the region since 2014, which escalated in February 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Avdiyivka suffered significant destruction.

The mayor of Avdiyivka, Vitaly Barabas, said that 941 people currently live in the city, where 32,000 people once lived. The city was briefly occupied by pro-Russian forces when they seized large swathes of territory in eastern Ukraine in 2014, but was retaken by Ukrainian forces, who later installed extensive fortifications.

Earlier, Barabas said on national television that Russian troops are pressing from all sides, and the situation for the Ukrainian troops defending the city is becoming more and more difficult.

“The enemy is pressing from all sides. They are storming with very numerous forces,” Barabash said, describing the situation as “very difficult and heated.”

The fall of Avdiivka is said to be hailed by Russian authorities as a hard-fought victory ahead of next month’s election, in which President Vladimir Putin will almost certainly be re-elected.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced in the evening briefing that its forces repelled 17 attacks on Avdiivka and another 5 in the surrounding area.

The General Staff also reported intense Russian shelling near Bakhmut, another destroyed town that fell to Russian forces last May, with heavy casualties on both sides.

Ukrainian ground forces said the situation in the east is tense, with Russian troops trying to break through defenses near Chasiv Yar, a town west of Bakhmut.