Peskov: Putin heard the first reports on the liberation of Avdeevka on the morning of February 17

Peskov also added that another report was heard at 11:00.

“The day before, on February 17, at 04:00, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov personally reported to the president in the Kremlin that the operation in Avdievka was nearing completion. Already at 11:00, the military leaders were again reporting to the president,” he said.

As Peskov pointed out, Shoigu and Gerasimov then reported that “the operation was virtually completed.”

The complete takeover of the city was reported in the afternoon.

Earlier, the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, reported to Russian leader Vladimir Putin about the capture of Avdeevka. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 1,500 servicemen in the battle for Avdievka per day.

The Russian Defense Ministry also emphasized that the liberation of Avdeevka by Russian troops made it possible to move the front line away from Donetsk.