REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 8 (Reuters) - Russian forces, their numbers swelled by reserves, tightened their vise around the shattered eastern city of Avdiivka on Wednesday, but Ukrainian forces are holding defensive lines, Ukrainian military officials said.
Anton Kotsukon, spokesperson for the 110th separate mechanised brigade, said Russian forces were massed on three sides of the town.
Russian forces, he said, were "playing cat and mouse", sending up "huge numbers" of drones while deploying artillery forces to secure a better picture of the town's defences.
It was seized briefly in 2014 when Russian-backed separatists captured chunks of eastern Ukraine, but Ukrainian troops retook it and built up fortifications.
Ukrainian forces regard Avdiivka as a gateway for future advances to recapture territory in the east - the large Russian-held town of Donetsk is 20 km away.
Persons:
Alexander Ermochenko, Anton Kotsukon, They've, Kotsukon, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Avdiivka, hasn't, Denys Popovych, Ron Popeski, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Grant McCool
Organizations:
REUTERS, vise, Thomson
Locations:
Avdiivka, Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, Russian, Kyiv, Bakhmut