A Ukrainian soldier amid destroyed buildings in Avdiivka in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine

Friday’s Coverage: Ukrainians Hold Out in Avdiivka in East

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1811 GMT:

Ukraine Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko has warned of donor fatigue as Russia’s invasion nears its 21st month.

On the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Morocco, Marchenko said, “I see a lot of tiredness. I see a lot of weakness among our partners. They would like to forget about the war but the war is still ongoing, full-scale.”

He said Ukraine is making “twice the effort right now to convince our partners to provide us with support” compared to the last IMF and World Bank meetings in April.

Ukraine is trying to cover a $43 billion budget gap in 2024.

“We already have some commitments, like $5.4 billion from the IMF programme, and we expect commitments from Japan and United Kingdom, and of course, we rely on our key partners and allies the United States and European Union,” Marchenko said.

The EU is working on a €50 billion ($52.6 billion) funding package for 2024 through 2027. Ukraine wants €18 billion euros in 2024, matching this year’s provision.

,p>Marchenko also welcomed efforts to provide funds from interest on frozen Russian state assets — a step taken by Belgium this week.

UPDATE 1404 GMT:

An 11-year-old boy has been killed and his 6-year-old brother and mother injured in a Russian attack on the village of Bahatyr in the Donetsk region.

The attack damaged 20 houses, a church, a school, cars, and the power grid.

UPDATE 1330 GMT:

The head of Avdiivka’s administration, Vitaliy Barabash, has updated on the Russian attacks on the town.

For the fifth day already, the enemy has not stopped either assaulting or shelling positions around the city. It is very heated, very heated….

There is certainly no silence there at all. Shooting battles continue, both from the north and from the south of the city.

Avdiivka, with 31,000 residents before the 20-month Russian invasion, now has about 1,600.

UPDATE 0715 GMT:

Despite — or because of — reports that its assault is struggling near Avdiivka, Russia is continuing intense shelling and airstrikes on the town in the Donetsk region.

Vitaliy Barabash, head of the city’s military administration, said, “Avdiivka is completely ablaze. They shoot, using everything they have. The hospital is again under fire, as are administrative buildings and our volunteer center.”

Regrouping after losses, Russia is also attacking near the village of Makiivka and towards the city of Kupyansk, said Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces.

“The main objective of the enemy is the defeat of a grouping of our troops, the encirclement of Kupyansk, and reaching the Oskil River,” he said.

The general assured that Ukrainian troops were ready for the assault and are holding their ground.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Russia’s attacks on Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, trying to seize the momentum from Kyiv’s 4-month counter-offensive, are reportedly “facing setbacks”.

Drawing on geolocated footage and reports from Russian sources, the US-based Institute for the Study of War supports the claim of the Ukrainian military that Moscow’s assault is being repelled.

Avdiivka is just over 20 km (12.5 miles) north of Donetsk city, the center of Russia’s occupation of the region. The Russians have been shelling the town for months, and they stepped up ground attacks on Tuesday from the northwest, west, and south. Three battalions — more than 2,000 soldiers, supported by tanks and other armored vehicles, rotary wing aircraft, and concentrated artillery — are involved.

Russian sources said the attacks continued on Friday, and video indicates that forces have advanced to the south and southeast of Avdiivka.

However, the Russian outlets put out conflicting accounts over whether the assault had seized the Avdiivka Coke Plant, and there was no evidence to confirm the claim.

A Russian military blogger said Ukrainian forces are using minefields and concrete fortifications to slow the assault, and a soldier posted that worn-out barrels are reducing the accuracy of Russian artillery.

Bloggers said the Russian military is ”minimizing the release of information into the public domain” as the Russian military does not want “media hype” amid the reported difficulties. Meanwhile, Russia’s UN Ambassador, Vassily Nebenzya proclaimed that the Ukrainian counter-offensive — which is still advancing near Bakhmut, 90 km (55 miles) north of Avdiivka — is “formally over” because Russian forces have switched to “active combat operations along almost the entire frontline.”

In Washington, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the Russia had failed to make much progress as it threw “masses of poorly trained soldiers right into the battlefield without proper equipment, and apparently without proper training and preparation”.