Russia claims ‘full control’ of Avdiivka
MOSCOW/KYIV — Russian troops have taken full control of the town of Avdiivka near Donetsk, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Saturday.
The defense ministry announced on its Telegram channel that Shoigu had reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin that the troops of the Center group, led by Lieutenant General Andrey Mordvichev, had completely captured the city of Avdiivka.
The ministry said the Russian troops had taken control of territory spanning 31.75 square kilometers from Ukrainian forces, and that Ukraine had lost more than 1,500 servicemen in a battle for Avdiivka in the previous 24 hours.
“Under the continuous fire impact of the Russian troops, only separate scattered formations of Ukrainian militants managed to hastily leave Avdiivka, abandoning their weapons and military equipment. Currently, measures are being taken to finally clear the city of militants, blocking the Ukrainian units that left the city and settled at the Avdiivka coke and chemical plant,” the Russian defense ministry said.
The full control of Avdiivka had allowed the Russian troops to push back the front line from Donetsk, thus significantly securing the military from Ukrainian attacks, the ministry said.
Facing ammunition shortages and outnumbered on the battlefield, Ukrainian forces announced they had withdrawn early on Saturday.
Earlier, Ukraine’s newly appointed commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said he had “decided to withdraw our units from the city and switch to defense on more favorable lines”.
It was Syrsky’s first major decision since his appointment, at a time when Ukraine faces mounting pressures in the east because of ammunition shortages, with a $60-billion US military aid package held up in Washington.
US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson put some of the blame for Kyiv’s latest setback on Congress.
The White House said the withdrawal had been forced upon Ukraine “by dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction”, which had forced Ukrainian soldiers to ration ammunition and resulted in “Russia’s first notable gains in months.”
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Avdiivka showed the need for modern air defense systems to counter guided bombs and long-range weapons to destroy enemy formations. He said artillery shells were also needed.
Avdiivka has borne the brunt of mounting pressure by Russia in the east since October, as wavering Western military aid has compounded the fatigue of Ukrainian troops fighting since early 2022. Ukraine’s positions had looked fraught for weeks.