KYIV—Ukraine said Thursday Russian assaults on the nearly encircled eastern town of Avdiivka had eased after a push by Moscow’s forces to capture the industrial hub.
Avdiivka, at the center of fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces since 2014, came under a renewed Russian effort last month to besiege the war-battered town.
“The number of assaults there has slightly decreased,” Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun said.
“The enemy continues to try to surround Avdiivka, but not so actively at the moment,” he added.
This developed as Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a law revoking Russia’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
The 1996 treaty outlaws all nuclear explosions, including live tests of nuclear weapons, though it never came into force because some key countries—including the United States and China—never ratified it.
At the same time, the Kremlin denied a claim from Kyiv’s most senior military official that the nearly two-year conflict in Ukraine had reached a stalemate.
“No, it has not reached a deadlock,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding: “Russia is steadily carrying out the special military operation. All the goals that were set should be fulfilled.”
The town, which once had a population of some 30,000, lies in the eastern Donetsk region the Kremlin claimed to have annexed last year despite not fully controlling it.
Shtupun said Russian forces could be regrouping to launch another concerted wave of attacks but claimed Ukrainian forces were largely in control.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said this week that Moscow’s forces were making gains near Avdiivka and said Ukrainian efforts to reclaim territory were “desperate” and resulting in losses.
Ukraine has launched a large-scale counteroffensive to reclaim captured territory but have had limited successes against heavily fortified Russian defensive lines. AFP