Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announces withdrawal from eastern Audiivka

On the 17th, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Sirsky, announced that his troops would be withdrawn from Audiivka, a stronghold in the eastern Donetsk region, which has been the site of a long-running conflict with the Russian side. With the withdrawal of the Ukrainian side, it has been pointed out that attacks by the Russian military have intensified.

On the 17th, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Sirsky said regarding the eastern region of Audiiivka, which has been the subject of a long offensive, ``In order to avoid a siege and protect the lives of our soldiers, we will withdraw our troops and move to the defense of a more superior front.'' He announced that his troops would be withdrawn.

Audiivka is an industrial city located about 15 kilometers north of Donetsk, the central city of Donetsk Oblast.The Russian military, aiming to take control of the entire region, has been sending in large numbers of troops since October last year, willing to sacrifice soldiers. was intensifying its attacks.

On the 16th, the American think tank ``Institute of War'' analyzed that the Russian military's advance in and around Audiiivka remains slow, but that the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops is occurring in a relatively orderly manner. Masu.

Furthermore, the Russian side points out that there is a possibility that the Ukrainian military will launch a violent attack in response to the withdrawal of the Ukrainian military, and that the Ukrainian military will be forced to withdraw while responding to such an attack.

What is Audi Iuka?

Audiivka is located in the central part of Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine, about 15 kilometers north of Donetsk, the main city of the Oblast.

It is one of the battlegrounds where Russia's military invasion of Ukraine continued for a long time.

Audi Iuka is an industrial city with one of the largest steel coke factories in Europe.

Since 2014, fighting has been fought between pro-Russian armed groups and the Ukrainian army, and since Donetsk city was taken over by pro-Russian forces, it has become a front-line defense base for the government.

The Russian military, which invaded Ukraine in October, has continued to attack Audiivka since the beginning of the invasion, using it as a foothold to take control of the entire Donetsk region.

In May of last year, a coke factory was attacked, killing 10 people, and civilians were also affected one after another.

In response, the Ukrainian military defended itself strongly and continued to repel the Russian forces.

Since around October last year, it has been pointed out that Ukraine is running out of ammunition, relying on aid from the West, and the Russian military has intensified its attacks by inflicting large numbers of personnel and weapons at no cost to Ukraine.

In late November last year, the British Ministry of Defense said that the Russian military had suffered the highest number of casualties in the past six weeks, the most on record, and that the attack on Audi Ivka was a major contributing factor. .

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a speech last month that ``One of the most important areas where fighting is currently going on is Audi Ivka,'' indicating a stance to strengthen the offensive, and ahead of next month's presidential election. It has been seen that the aim was to appeal to the people that seizing control of Iuka was an important military achievement.

Meanwhile, according to the local mayor, the fierce fighting has reduced the city to rubble and most of the infrastructure has stopped.

Many of the city's 33,000 residents before the invasion were evacuated, and the mayor announced earlier this month that only about 900 people remained in the city.

President Zelenskiy announced in December last year that he had visited the area to give encouragement and also released a video he shot himself.

On the 14th, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Sirsky, who took office this month, announced that he and Defense Minister Umerov had inspected the front line in Audiiivka, calling it an "extremely difficult situation." "We have given commanders the authority to independently make the necessary emergency decisions," he said, and also outlined what to do should the situation rapidly deteriorate.