[Tee tiong huat]

For nearly two months, Russia has been trying to seize Avdiivka, an industrial town near Donetsk that has become one of the most contended points on the front line. Ukrainian town of Avdiivka, under constant Russian fire, has seen fewer ground attacks in the past 24 hours due to heavy Russian losses and harsh weather, the mayor said on Sunday.

Russian soldiers now on east, north and south of the town, now left largely in ruins. It is nearly surrounded but is still served by tarmac rd. "Over past 24 hours, number of (ground) attacks has decreased," Vitaliy Barabash, the head of the city's military administration, told Ukrainian broadcaster Freedom.

He said this was due to 3-factors -- difficult "weather conditions", "large losses in both (Russian) and manpower",fact is Russian army was "running out of steam". Ukraine says its soldiers are holding firm and repelling attacks.

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/24991