The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has found evidence that Russia intends to deploy more infantry in ground assaults near Avdiivka, as reported by the German news website n-tv.de.
The ground attacks of the Russian troops, which take place north and south of the small town, have slowed down in that there is an increased heavy indirect bombardment on Ukrainian positions at the front and in rear areas. The ISW cites a military blogger with connections to the Kremlin in this context. This could indicate artillery preparations for an impending wave of attacks, as speculated by this US think tank. Other Russian military bloggers also suggest that these operations could be preparations.
On the other hand, the Ukrainian side expects infantry-led frontal assaults. The Ukrainian army reports that the Russian armed forces are preparing for attacks and are training ‘Storm-Z’ units, which mainly consist of convict recruits and are trained for attacks without equipment.
Image: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0,Military exercises Center-2019-02.jpg, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)
