Bloody battle for a coveted city

Soldiers firing a grenade launcher toward Russian forces near the Kreminna front line in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. — ©2023 The New York Times Company

THE tall chimneys of the Avdiivka Coke Plant stand out against the skyline. Beside it a sprawling slag heap juts into the sky, offering a high point overlooking the city of Avdiivka and surrounding villages.

The two landmarks have been the focus of furious fighting as thousands of Russian troops began a major new offensive in eastern Ukraine to seize Avdiivka, a long-coveted prize that would extend Russia’s control of the coal mining region of the Donbas.