Inside Avdiyivka's Battle Against Russian Encirclement

Ukrainian forces fire a SPG-9 anti-tank grenade launcher at Russian troops in the city of Avdiyivka in eastern Ukraine on November 8.

Russian troops have been attempting for several weeks to encircle the industrial city but have met fierce Ukrainian resistance.

RFE/RL photographer Serhiy Nuzhnenko traveled to the front line, where he met with Avdiyivka's defenders, who were holding their ground in heavy fighting.

A local resident stands near damaged homes.

Avdiyivka had a prewar population of around 30,000 people, but it's estimated that only 1,600 people still remain in the devastated city, where there is no electricity or running water.

 A Ukrainian soldier walks next to a damaged apartment building. 

A key transportation hub, Avdiyivka, is just 15 kilometers north of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk. It has been under siege since Moscow launched a major offensive earlier in October.

Local resident Ryta holds a cat while her neighbor Raisa saws firewood.

With both sides unleashing punishing bombardments, residents must seek refuge in the basements of shattered buildings.
 

Local resident Oleksandr saws firewood.

Though Avdiyivka has an "invincibility point" -- a  humanitarian support center offering food, warmth, power, and refuge -- it has become extremely dangerous for residents to venture to.

A member of Ukraine's National Guard fires a mortar at Russian troops.

A special police unit known as the White Angels has been encouraging residents to leave.

A local resident walks next to heavily damaged buildings. 

Local media reported on November 13 that the White Angels evacuated two bodies of victims who were killed following the shelling of a residential area in Avdiyivka.

A view through a broken window shows Ukrainian soldiers firing on Russian positions.

The General Staff of Ukraine's military said early on November 13 that Kyiv's forces had fought more than 70 close-quarter battles in the Kupyansk, Bakhmut, and Avdiyivka directions.