Ukrainian forces withdraw from Avdiivka after fighting for several months

Ukrainian soldiers during battles with Russian forces in Avdiivka (Reuters)

The new Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Sirsky, said on Saturday that the forces withdrew from the city of Avdiivka in the east of the country to avoid being besieged by Russian forces, after violent battles that lasted for several months to control it.

“Building the operational situation around Avdiivka and in order to avoid being besieged and to preserve the lives and health of our soldiers, I decided to withdraw our units from the city and move to defend more suitable positions,” Sirsky wrote on the “X” and “Facebook” websites early on, noting that the withdrawal came After months of severe Russian attacks.

For his part, the region's commander, Ukrainian General Oleksandr Tarnavsky, announced on Telegram, "In accordance with the order we received, we withdrew from Avdiivka to pre-prepared positions."

Tarnavsky had previously admitted that Russian forces had captured many of his soldiers in Avdiivka, as these forces had “superiority in terms of numbers, artillery, and aviation.” He said that the defenders of Avdiivka “were moving when necessary to new positions. It is unfortunate that during one of these transfer operations, "Many of our soldiers were captured."

Luhansk and Donetsk - Zaporozhye - Kherson - Crimea (Al Jazeera)

This is Russia's largest symbolic victory after the failure of the counterattack launched by Kiev last summer, and represents the biggest change on the battle fronts since Russian forces seized Bakhmut in May 2023.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged Thursday to do “everything possible” to save his forces on the eastern front, especially in Avdiivka, after both the Ukrainian army and the American administration described the situation as “critical.”

After the failure of the major counterattack launched by Ukraine in the summer, the Russians became the first to attack the Ukrainian army, which faces difficulties in replenishing its forces and lacks ammunition.

Avdiivka has an important symbolic value, as it fell briefly in 2014 into the hands of Moscow-backed separatists, before returning to Kiev’s control, in addition to its proximity to the city of Donetsk, a stronghold of Russia’s supporters for ten years.

A large part of the city was destroyed, but about 900 civilians still reside there, according to local authorities. Moscow hopes that controlling it will secure Donetsk from regular Ukrainian bombing.

Days before the second anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion, Ukraine faces several challenges: attacks by Russian forces, faltering US military aid, and a shortage of fighters, weapons and ammunition.

In contrast, Russia is proud to deploy 600,000 soldiers on the front, and its economy is entirely devoted to the war effort, which Western sanctions have failed to derail.

                              Zelensky met Macron in search of increasing military support for Ukraine (French)

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In this tense context, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky began a European tour on Friday, demanding increased military support.

Zelensky signed a security agreement in Berlin on Friday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which the latter described as a "historic step," adding that Germany would continue to support Ukraine in the face of the Russian war "as long as necessary."

The Ukrainian president then moved to Paris to sign a similar agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron and demand increased military support for Ukraine, before participating in the security conference in Munich on Saturday, where he will meet US Vice President Kamala Harris.

In addition, Ukraine announced on Friday that it had returned the bodies of 58 of its soldiers who fell on the front, and this type of exchange, along with prisoners of war, constitutes one of the last areas in which Moscow and Kiev have cooperated since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

The Russian war on Ukraine is approaching the completion of its second year. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, and to end it, it stipulates that Kiev abandons plans to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which Kiev considers an interference in its sovereignty.

Source: Agencies