Russia launched a major assault on the village of Avdiivka, one of its biggest efforts in months. But Putin now appears to be trying to temper expectations of a big advance there, experts say. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin may be trying to lower expectations that Russia can make significant progress in its fight for a strategic Ukrainian village, experts said. This shows Russia "may be trying to temper expectations of significant Russian advances around Avdiivka," it said. Ukrainian units fighting there said they were holding Russian forces back, and videos from the area show destroyed Russian armored vehicles.

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Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Vasily Nebenzya, Avdiivka, Dmytro Lysyuk, ISW Organizations: Service, Washington DC, for, Russian, Guardian Locations: Russia, Avdiivka, Ukrainian, Ukraine's, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Washington, Ukraine, Russian