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The Russian occupiers, sparing no resources, are trying to capture the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka and thereby give Putin “under the Christmas tree”, at least some kind of victory, for the New Year. Russian propaganda will try to make this a “glorious page” in the history of the Russian Army. This opinion was voiced by national security expert Ivan Varchenko on the FREEDOM TV channel.
Speaking about the situation near Avdiivka, he drew parallels with the actions of the Russian invaders in Bakhmut.
“Bakhmut at the end of 2022 became an idea fix for Russians, an idea that had to be implemented before the end of the year. So that this would be a “great victory” for Russian weapons, so that it could be said about it on New Year’s Eve, and with this Putin came to the pre-New Year’s annual conference. So that the dictator could report to the Russian people about the successes at the front by capturing the city of Bakhmut. But it didn’t happen as they wanted. They were forced to fight with “meat assaults” for almost another six months, losing manpower and smashing equipment. And almost any progress was small victories,” the expert noted.
He recalled that Bakhmut was not converted into “the glory of Russian weapons.”
“They subsequently tried to slowly forget about Bakhmut in the information space of the Russian Federation as the “city of glory of Russian weapons,” because they understood that no one would understand why 100 thousand Russian soldiers were laid under a small Ukrainian town of 70 thousand,” Varchenko added.
Now, he says, the Russian occupiers have chosen a conditionally new “victim” – the city of Avdiivka, which is located only 13 kilometers from Donetsk, and about which they have “broken their teeth” more than once since 2014.
“Now they are also working in the city of Avdiivka with “meat assaults”, assaults on scrap metal, destroying entire columns of equipment. And they put their fighters there by the thousands. In almost every corner of this small Ukrainian town, they have already lost more than 10 thousand soldiers killed alone. It is clear that they also have enough wounded, maimed and missing people. And, of course, every advance, every planting, every tree becomes a Pyrrhic victory for them,” Varchenko emphasized.
He also emphasized that Russians do not take into account the number of sacrifices that must be made to implement Putin’s ideas.
“It is clear that the Russian army trying to capture Avdiivka for the New Year’s conference, they are trying to take at least a small town, from which, of course, they will try to make a big and “glorious page” in the history of the Russian army in their propaganda. But again, the obstacle on the road to “world domination” became a small Ukrainian town and several thousand Ukrainian soldiers who heroically defend it, the Ukrainian nation, which helps this town hold its defense, summed up the guest of the broadcast.
Varchenko believes that the Russians will not succeed in the New Year this time either. And the Kremlin may be forced to cancel the annual conference again.
“They will be forced to enter the election campaign format with nothing. Although, of course, I would like to march in victory with flags and songs, but it doesn’t work. Every Ukrainian soldier does not allow Putin to conduct an optimistic election campaign,” Varchenko said.
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