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- Russia has likely lost about 200 armored vehicles in the last three weeks, the UK said Saturday.
- The heavy losses have occurred in intense fighting for control over the city of Avdiivka.
- According to the UK, Russia is now likely forcing its troops to advance on foot.
Russia's equipment losses over the past few weeks have been so staggering that it is likely now requiring its soldiers to advance on foot in an effort to capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, the UK's Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence briefing on Saturday.
Since early October, Russia has been throwing troops and equipment at the city in an effort to reverse Ukrainian gains in Donetsk, which the Kremlin formally annexed last year. The fighting has been devastating for both sides, but especially for Russia, which has been accused of resorting to "human wave tactics" — throwing inexperienced troops at Ukrainian defense lines — at a tremendous loss of human life. In just one week, Ukrainian officials claimed to have killed more than 6,000 Russian soldiers.
According to the UK, Russia may have no other choice.
"Over the past three weeks, Russia has likely lost around 200 armored vehicles during its assaults on the Donbas town of Avdiivka," the UK said in its regular defense intelligence assessment of the fighting in Ukraine. "In response, Russian forces have likely switched to conducting dismounted infantry-based assaults in this sector," it said, suffering huge losses as troops advance "across open ground."
The British analysis tracks with a report this week from the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, that estimated at least 197 Russian armored vehicles had been lost or damaged. Just under a hundred were lost in the first week of the offensive, which began Oct. 9, it said.
That compares to Ukraine losing about 200 vehicles in over four months of fighting in Zaporizhzhia, ISW military analyst George Barros told Insider. "We can conclude now that this is by far the most costly Russian assault during three weeks for one city since the beginning of the war," he said.