Kyiv: Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka, clearing the way for Russia's biggest advance since May 2023 when it captured the city of Bakhmut, the new Ukrainian army chief said in the early hours of Saturday (Kiev time).
Ukrainian officials said the withdrawal, announced as Ukraine faces a severe ammunition shortage with US military aid delayed for months in Congress, aims to save troops from complete encirclement by Russian forces after months of intense fighting.
The city was destroyed as a result of months of fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces.credit: GT
Gen. Oleksandr Sirsky, who took command of the Ukrainian army in a major shakeup last week, said Ukrainian forces had returned to safer positions outside the town, which had a pre-war population of 32,000.
An Armed Forces statement was quoted as saying: “I decided to withdraw our units from the city and move to defense from more convenient lines to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of the soldiers.”
Losing the town nearly two years after a full-scale Russian invasion may give Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a stronger case to make to the West for more urgent military aid as he addresses the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
Heavily fortified with a network of tunnels and concrete fortifications, Avdiivka is located on the northern outskirts of Donetsk, a city located in the region of the same name and partly occupied by Russian forces.
The capture of Avdiivka could be a timely boost for Moscow, and serve as a potential springboard for Russia to push deeper into the region.
US President Joe Biden said this week that Avdiivka was at risk of falling into the hands of Russian forces due to a shortage of ammunition, months after the Republican Congress opposed the new US military aid package to Kiev.
