Russia using drones to target civilians who remain in Avdiivka with artillery strikes, local governor says
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Residents of the besieged front-line Donbas town of Avdiivka are being deliberately targeted in their own homes, Vitaliy Barabash, head of the local military administration, told the Espreso TV channel on Nov. 15.
As temperatures drop, civilians are lighting stoves for warmth, drawing the attention of Russian drones circling overhead. The reconnaissance drones then target precision artillery strikes on the locations.
"The stoves have already been lit, smoke is coming out of the chimneys," he said.
“The enemy uses its drones flying over the town to record these locations, and then the guided aerial bombs and artillery strike there very precisely, targeting these locations.”
This "indicates that civilians are being knocked out," the governor said.
As of the morning of Nov. 15, 1,461 people had evacuated the town. On Nov. 14 alone, 15 civilians left Avdiivka.
"People are leaving, there are people registered for evacuation for today and tomorrow, and even for a couple of days ahead, people are really tired. Even those who had been waiting (for the Russians to arrive)," Barabash said.
Russia’s offensive on Avdiivka — What is known
Russian troops intensified their offensive on Avdiivka on Oct. 10, launching massive attacks on the Donbas town.
The head of Avdiiivka’s military administration, Vitaliy Barabash, said that Oct. 10 saw “probably the largest attack on the city in the entire full-scale war,” but the situation was under control.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces said that the Russian military wants to surround Avdiivka, and is throwing a large amount of equipment and personnel into battle.
Barabash said on Oct. 20 that Russian troops had launched a new wave of assaults. The situation remains difficult, he said at that time.
Since the beginning of the Russian offensive on Avdiivka, the losses of the Russian invasion forces in Donetsk Oblast amounted to 6,500 soldiers, the Tavria Defense Forces spokesperson, Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun, said earlier.
Russian invasion forces have eased their attacks on Avdiivka to replace their losses and regroup, Shtupun said on Nov. 2.
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