Russian forces continue to make small but rapid gains outside Avdeevka, partly due to depleted Ukrainian ammunition and reduced Western aid, The New York Times reports.
But there is another reason for the advance of Russian troops in the area – Ukraine’s poor defences.
According to satellite images taken by the commercial company Planet Labs, west of Avdeevka, the territory the Ukrainian armed forces are now trying to defend has only “rudimentary lines of trenches”.
These lines lack additional fortifications that could help slow Russian tanks and help protect major roads and important terrain.
