Zelenskiy says Russia loses 'at least a brigade' trying to take Avdiivka

FILE PHOTO: A view shows a damaged residential building, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine October 17, 2023. REUTERS/Yevhen Titov/File Photo

(Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday Russian forces have lost at least a brigade worth of troops trying to advance on Ukraine's eastern town of Avdiivka.

Russia renewed a push to encircle the embattled town in mid-October, trying to overwhelm Ukrainian positions with constant barrages of artillery and waves of troops and fighting vehicles, according to local and military authorities in Ukraine.