The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the complete liberation of Avdeevka by the Center group of troops under the command of Colonel General Andrei Mordvichev. In total, an area of 31.75 square meters was cleared of Ukrainian militants. km.
“The enemy’s losses in the battles for Avdiivka over the past 24 hours amounted to more than 1.5 thousand military personnel. Under the continuous fire impact of Russian troops, only a few scattered formations of Ukrainian militants managed to hastily leave Avdiivka, abandoning their weapons and military equipment,” the department said.
Currently, measures are being taken to block Ukrainian militants who have left the city and gained a foothold at the coke plant.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the order to abandon Avdiivka was issued only a day after the “uncontrolled flight began” of Ukrainian troops from the city.
“Information about the advance of our troops was not made public until the enemy was completely defeated and the city was taken under control,” the military department said.
Let us recall that on February 17, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexander Syrsky, announced the withdrawal of units from Avdiivka and consolidation on “more advantageous” defense lines. As the military leader explained, the retreat avoids encirclement of the Ukrainian group.
A few days earlier, in his Telegram channel, Syrsky reported on the extremely tense situation in the Avdeevsky direction. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted that Russian troops have a numerical advantage in personnel, use guided aerial bombs, and carry out dense mortar and artillery shelling of Ukrainian positions.
The political leadership of Ukraine also recognized the fact of abandoning Avdiivka. As Vladimir Zelensky said at the Munich Security Conference, the Ukrainian Armed Forces left the city so as not to be surrounded.
The Russian Ministry of Defense noted that the liberation of Avdeevka made it possible to move the front line away from Donetsk, “thereby significantly protecting it from terrorist attacks by the criminal Kyiv regime.”
According to the Military Chronicle, the skillful work of Russian artillery units played a big role in the battles for Avdeevka. During the final stage of the operation, strikes on Ukrainian Armed Forces positions were carried out as quickly as possible. For example, practicing the Grad MLRS on targets took “no more than four to five minutes, including moving into position.”
“In practice, this approach helped destroy a significant number of Ukrainian Armed Forces reserves in the Lastochkino-Avdeevka section,” note the authors of the Military Chronicle.
At the moment, Russian troops are fighting for Lastochkino and preparing for the battle for Orlovka. The Avdeevsk group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was supplied through these settlements. In addition, it was there that the Ukrainian units that retreated from the city retreated.
“In Lastochkino, Russian assaults have already gained a foothold, having taken part of the village. After consolidation, a short pause was taken - artillery and aviation have been actively working on identified targets since the night. As soon as they work, the movement will continue towards Orlovka,” the Military Chronicle reported.
RT discussed with experts the significance of the liberation of Avdeevka and the features of this operation.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky surrounded by other Ukrainian military leaders
© oleksandr_syrskyi
— How difficult was the Avdeev operation? What military and political significance does the liberation of this city have?
Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Shalandin:
— The battles for Avdeevka, located north of Donetsk, began virtually from the beginning of the Northern Military District. It was important to liberate the city for several reasons.
Firstly, it is ensuring the security of the capital of the DPR, suppressing regular artillery shelling of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Secondly, this is an opportunity to continue the offensive on other settlements of the DPR.
The battle for Avdeevka became a difficult test for our army. Since 2014, the Ukrainian command has paid great attention to the construction of engineering structures in this locality and their integration into the city infrastructure.
In particular, in Avdeevka, many concrete fortifications were created with passages through residential buildings, and well-equipped underground communications appeared. This allowed the enemy to accumulate personnel, weapons, ammunition and resist for quite a long time.
Avdeevka, a small area, turned into a powerful fortified area hanging over Donetsk. I would compare the severity of the battles for her with what happened in Mariupol.
Therefore, the liberation of Avdeevka is, without a doubt, an important success for the Russian army. Whereas for the Ukrainian Armed Forces this is a reduction in the possibilities for terrorist attacks on Donetsk and a tangible reputational loss, especially for the new commander-in-chief Syrsky.
Reserve Colonel, combat veteran Gennady Alekhin:
— Militarily, Avdiivka was perhaps the most powerful fortified area of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The enemy's defensive infrastructure consisted of strong points, fortified firing points, underground communications, and industrial zones where it was extremely difficult to conduct combat operations.
In this regard, in operational terms, the capture of Avdeevka is an unconditional success for our army. We are reducing the danger to civilians in Donetsk and gaining operational space that allows us to continue the liberation of Donbass.
A soldier of the unit of the international brigade "Pyatnashka" in the Avdeevsky direction.
RIA News
© Sergey Averin
Of course, this process is unlikely to be quick. It is necessary to prepare for intense, methodical work to block other enemy fortified areas.
At the same time, I really hope that the factor of declining morale of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will help our troops in the difficult task of liberating Donbass. The fall of Avdiivka should significantly weaken the desire of Ukrainian militants to fight for Syrsky and Zelensky.
Retired Colonel Viktor Litovkin:
— Avdeevka is part of the so-called Ugledar arc (Ugledar, Maryinka, Soledar, Artyomovsk), which divides the DPR into liberated areas and territories under the control of the Bandera regime. The capture of Avdiivka makes it possible to continue offensive operations. Along with this, it is also important for us as a transport hub.
For our enemy, the loss of another fortified area is, first of all, a blow to the moral and psychological state of the Armed Forces of Ukraine personnel, especially after an unsuccessful counter-offensive and the change of commander-in-chief to the less competent Syrsky.
— How did the Russian army manage to capture Avdeevka? What new tactics were used in the battles for this fortified area?
Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Shalandin:
— In Avdeevka, the enemy built its defenses in such a way as to inflict significant losses on Russian troops. Fighting in the city, in principle, is more difficult for the advancing forces, because they are a priori limited in the use of heavy equipment. The assault infantry has to do a huge amount of work, which naturally leads to significant losses.
To avoid protracted and bloody urban battles, the Russian command concentrated its efforts on attacks on the flanks of the Avdeev group and attacks on its supply routes. For this purpose, aviation and artillery were actively used. At the same time, assault operations were carried out in urban areas.
In my opinion, an effective scheme of attack on the fortress city was used in Avdeevka. The Russian Armed Forces were able to create such strong pressure that the enemy faced the threat of a blockade and abandoned those lines that they could hypothetically defend. The experience gained by our army near Avdeevka will definitely be useful when capturing other fortified areas.
Reserve Colonel, combat veteran Gennady Alekhin:
— First of all, it must be said that in Avdeevka the Russian army took into account the experience of fighting in agglomerations. This is the liberation of Mariupol, Popasnaya, Lisichansk, Severodonetsk and Artyomovsk.
Ukrainian troops near Avdeevka
© Vlada Liberova/Libkos/Getty Images
The accumulated experience was manifested in well-established interaction between artillery, aviation and infantry. The Aerospace Forces were especially helpful, as they, one might say, expertly destroyed the enemy’s defense units. The fire support of our assault groups was also at a high level.
A very clever technique was used by Russian attack aircraft, who in January went behind the rear of Ukrainian militants, using an underground tunnel that was created from an ordinary steel pipe with a diameter of 80 cm. Such a daring non-standard maneuver made it possible to reach 2 km to the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces group that was holding the former recreation center "Royal Hunt".
Setting up this communication took a lot of time and resources. However, these efforts were fully justified. Thanks to the strike to the rear, it was possible to break through the most powerful defense line of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the south of Avdiivka. In general, the capture of the “Tsar’s Hunt” seriously complicated the position of the Ukrainian garrison.
It is worth adding to this that in January-February the problem of shell starvation became critically aggravated for the enemy. Resistance was becoming pointless. But, most likely, Zelensky insisted on holding Avdeevka to the last, and Syrsky did not dare to object to him.
Retired Colonel Viktor Litovkin:
— The Avdeevka operation is an example of successful methodical work to capture a well-fortified city. Our troops exhausted the enemy with constant attacks by attack aircraft, artillery and aviation strikes, attacks on the flanks and positions in the city itself.
Zelensky constantly transferred reserves to Avdiivka, apparently hoping to hold the city longer than it eventually turned out to be. In Avdeevka, our troops defeated well-trained, one might say, elite units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. As in Artyomovsk, the enemy formations suffered significant losses and were actually crushed.