Moscow using aerial attacks in bid to control Ukraine's east: Kyiv

Russian forces relied heavily on aerial attacks on Dec 7 in their slow-moving campaign to win control of eastern Ukraine and resorted to new smaller attack groups in pressing to capture the beleaguered town of Avdiivka.

Moscow has focused its attention on the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk since failing to advance on Kyiv in the early days of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

It has set its sights since mid-October on Avdiivka.

The town is a gateway to the Russian-held regional centre of Donetsk - 20km to the east. It has resisted capture while coming under sustained enemy fire.

"For the second day in a row, occupying forces have been actively using kamikaze drones and aviation. And the number of combat clashes has significantly increased," Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun told national television.