kyiv announces the withdrawal of a position near Avdiïvka and the capture of several soldiers by the Russians

Soon the fall of Avdiïvka? The Ukrainian army announced on Friday February 16 that it had withdrawn “with minor losses” but soldiers taken prisoner from a position it held south of Avdiïvka, a town in the east where the situation has deteriorated considerably for it in recent days. “The decision to withdraw was taken to save personnel and improve the operational situation,” wrote Oleksandr Tarnavsky, the Ukrainian general who commands this area, on Telegram.

Ukraine risks having to abandon this locality, which is now largely destroyed, faced with a growing lack of resources due in particular to the blocking of American military aid, while Russia, which has more men and ammunition, can hope for a conquest, a few days before the second anniversary of the start of the invasion, on February 24. In this case, it would be Russia’s greatest symbolic victory after the failure of kyiv’s counter-offensive last summer.

According to Kiev, the Russian army has been increasing its assault waves since October to take this industrial city, despite very high human losses, a situation reminiscent of the battle of Bakhmout, a city that Moscow conquered in May 2023 after 10 months of fighting. at the cost of tens of thousands of deaths and injuries.