Brutal drone footage from the ongoing battle for Avdiivka, north of Donetsk city, shows a column of Russian armor being systematically blown to bits as they attempt to assault Ukrainian positions.

The exact nature of the blasts isn't confirmed, but many of the vehicles are likely destroyed by powerful anti tank mines. It's possible some of the strikes were the result of guided missiles as well.

Russia has drummed up a surprising amount of manpower and resources for their offensive on Avdiivka. While they have nearly encircled the town, they have lost an immense amount of of vehicles and manpower so far and still have not achieved their goal.

Analysts of the conflict are suggesting Russia is wanting to seize Avdiivka as a symbolic "win" before the year is over to give the impression of progress to the Russian people.

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Will Killmore

Will Killmore is a US Army combat infantry veteran and Purple Heart recipient. He has deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 172nd Stryker Brigade and 173rd Airborne Brigade. Following his time in service, he successfully pursued a certificate of journalism and has been a blogger for Funker530 since 2014. Follow Will’s bad takes on Twitter