He added: “The enemy is actively bringing in assault units and large amounts of armored equipment and using aircraft and artillery.”
Ukrainian troops have faced constant Russian attacks on Avdiivka.
The city is located around 12 miles west of Russian-occupied Donetsk, an area that has seen brutal fighting since 2014.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive has not achieved what many in the country hoped it would, but in Russia, many still fear what Kyiv’s soldiers could do in the south.
Russian sources have expressed “pronounced concern” about ongoing Ukrainian activity in Kherson, southern Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
The think tank says “It is noteworthy that prominent and generally reliable Russian sources are discussing Ukrainian activities on the east bank as occurring at a larger scale than previously documented”.
President Joe Biden provided Ukraine with a big boost on Thursday as he submitted a $106bn request to Congress for military and humanitarian aid which will also be used to help Israel.
In his national address on Thursday, Mr Biden said the US is a “beacon to the world” as he urged Republicans to back his plan.
He added: “History has taught us that when terrorists don’t pay a price for their terror, when dictators don’t pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction,” he said.
“They keep going and the costs and the threats to America and the world keep rising.”
Follow our social media accounts here on https://www.facebook.com/
