Ukrainian army withdraws from embattled city of Avdiivka

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Ukrainian soldiers near Avdiivka

Photo: Libkos/Getty Images

The Ukrainian army is withdrawing from the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, which has been fought over for months, in the war against the Russian invaders. The new Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky wrote early Saturday morning on the X platform (formerly Twitter) and Facebook: "In view of the operational situation around Avdiivka, I have decided to withdraw our units from the city and go into defense on more favorable lines in order to... “To avoid encirclement and to protect the lives and health of the soldiers.”

But the army apparently doesn't want to give up the city. They would return, he told Syrsky.

Russian troops have been trying to capture Avdiivka since October 2023 with heavy losses. Since 2014, the former industrial city has been an outpost of Ukraine in the immediate vicinity of Donetsk, the Russian-controlled capital of the Donbass coal and steel district. A conquest of the city by Russian troops would not be strategically important, but it could be exploited by the Kremlin for propaganda purposes before the Russian presidential election in March, wrote the experts at the US Institute for War Studies (ISW).

“We are taking measures to stabilize the situation and maintain our positions”

Most recently, Ukraine had to give up the city of Bakhmut, which had also been fought over for months, in the spring of 2023. A Russian victory in Avdiivka would be the most significant gain in territory for Moscow since the capture of Bakhmut.

Syrsky further wrote that the soldiers fulfilled their military duty with dignity and did everything "to destroy the best Russian military units"; they inflicted significant losses on personnel and equipment on the enemy. "We are taking measures to stabilize the situation and maintain our positions." The lives of military personnel are the highest value.

In recent days, the situation for the Ukrainian defenders in the city had become increasingly difficult. The Ukrainian defenders fought back in "inhumane conditions," the press service of the 110th brigade of the Ukrainian army deployed in Avdiivka wrote on Facebook on Friday. "Today the enemy is throwing enormous forces in the form of personnel, armored vehicles and aircraft towards Avdiivka."

Russian troops have advanced from several sides, the ISW experts analyzed in their daily report for Thursday. Photos have shown that Russian troops are advancing from the north to the large Avdiivka coking plant. In the south of the city, an important Ukrainian fortified defense structure was captured.

hen/dpa