The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Russian forces took full control of the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka after months of fierce fighting.
President Vladimir Putin congratulated the troops on the development, calling it a “success” and “an important victory” just days before the second anniversary of their large-scale invasion of Russia. Ukraine.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed the Kremlin that forces were working to clear the last pockets of resistance, on the same day that the Ukrainian army commander announced that he would withdraw forces outnumbering them from the city.
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He comes as president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky He appealed to the West to increase military aid supplies and suggested that the withdrawal was partly due to a lack of weapons.
“now, [the military] “It will be replenished, and they will wait for the relevant weapons, of which there were not enough, simply not enough,” he said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference.
He added: “Russia has long-range weapons, while we simply do not have enough of them.”
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Zelensky's warning about the Russian threat
He later expressed hope that the US Congress would make a “wise decision” and approve the resupply package for Ukrainian forces, which faced fierce resistance from Republicans.
“We hope that the House of Representatives will take decisions to ensure further necessary American support for Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote on X.
“We must win this war.”
A Ukrainian soldier in Avdiivka last year. Photo: AP
The White House blamed the withdrawal from Avdiivka on “dwindling supplies as a result of Congressional inaction” that forced Ukrainian soldiers to ration ammunition and led to Russia's “first notable gains in months.”
Later, in a phone call with Zelensky, Biden confirmed the United States' commitment to supporting Ukraine.
Controlling the southern city is Russia's biggest advance since it took control of Bakhmut last May, and may be key to Russia moving a step closer to securing full control over the two provinces that make up the Donbass industrial region.
Putin congratulated the troops on the victory in the Ukrainian city. Photo: Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov
In a telegram, Putin paid tribute to the soldiers who died in the campaign, saying: “Eternal glory to the heroes who fell while carrying out the tasks of the special military operation!”
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Russian forces have been trying to advance towards the town since October last year, besieging it from three sides, leaving limited resupply routes for the Ukrainian forces holed up there.
In recent days, Rodion Kudryashov, deputy commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade, gave insight into the situation on the ground, saying Russian warplanes were dropping about 60 bombs a day, relentlessly bombing the area and launching attacks with armor and infantry.
Photo: AP
The city, once home to around 30,000 people but now thought to have a population of just over 1,000, lies north of Donetsk.
It was home to a large industrial facility that produced chemicals and a coal-based fuel known as coke, but the plant was badly damaged in the fighting, according to its owners.
The takeover was not an easy one for the Russians, as footage showed the bodies of about 150 soldiers, most wearing Russian military uniforms, scattered along tree lines as they searched for cover.
