Decimated Avdiivka Falls To Russia As Ukrainian Forces Retreat

After months of intense battle with Russian forces, officials ordered the full evacuation of forces from the important eastern town soon before dawn on Saturday.

The top military commander of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrsky, made the following announcement on Facebook: "Based on the operational situation around Avdiivka, in order to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of servicemen, I decided to withdraw our units from the city and move to defense on more favorable lines."

While the town’s strategic significance is limited, Avdiivka is a tangible gain for Moscow and is an indication of how the war appears to have turned in Putin’s favor.

Avdiivka has been on the front lines since Russian-backed fighters seized large portions of the Donbas region, including the nearby city of Donetsk, in 2014. It has been under fire since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

"In a situation where the enemy is advancing on the corpses of their own soldiers with a ten-to-one shell advantage, under constant bombardment, this is the only correct solution ... they [Russia's troops] are numerically superior in terms of personnel, artillery and aviation." – Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of southern Ukrainian forces has added

Source: CNN