Russia close to capturing Ukraine's Avdiivka
After months of brutal fighting, Russia is on the verge of capturing the strategically located Ukrainian city


What happened?
Ukrainian and U.S. officials said Thursday that after months of brutal fighting, Russia is on the verge of capturing the strategically located, ruined city of Avdiivka. It would be Russia's most significant military victory since Bakhmut last May.
Who said what?
"Avdiivka is at risk of falling" largely because Ukrainian forces are running out of ammunition, White House spokesperson John Kirby said. And House leaders are keeping the U.S. from sending them the "artillery shells that they desperately need" to fend off Russia's "wave after wave" of cannon fodder. "We value every piece of Ukrainian land, but the highest value and priority for us is the preservation of the life of a Ukrainian soldier," said Ukrainian Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavsky.
The commentary
"Russia is throwing everything it has at Avdiivka," and it continues to suffer "immense losses," CNN said. "But Moscow appears to be calculating these losses are worth it."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Russia's capture of Avdiivka "would not be operationally significant and would likely only offer the Kremlin" propaganda and political victories, the Institute for the Study of War said.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland
-
Why Trump is so focused on getting a Nobel Peace Prize
The Explainer A recent poll found that three-quarters of Americans say Trump doesn’t deserve the award
-
Trump declares new tariffs on drugs, trucks, furniture
Speed Read He's putting tariffs of 25% on semi trucks, 30% on upholstered furniture, 50% on kitchen and bathroom cabinetry and 100% on certain drugs
-
Amazon reaches ‘historic’ $2.5B Prime settlement
speed read The company allegedly tricked customers into signing up for Prime membership that was then difficult to cancel