the Ukrainian army announces its withdrawal from Avdiïvka, after months of fighting in this town in the east of the country

The Ukrainian army withdrew on Saturday February 17 from the town of Avdiïvka, after months of intense fighting in this city from the east of the country. “In accordance with the order received, [nous nous] We are withdrawn from Avdiïvka to go to positions prepared in advance”, announced on the night of Friday to Saturday General Oleksandr Tarnavsky, who commands this zone, in a message on Telegram. Ukraine concedes its greatest symbolic victory to Russia, after the failure of the counter-offensive launched by kyiv last summer.

Before formalizing the abandonment of the city, General Tarnavsky had recognized that “several soldiers” Ukrainians had been “captured” by Russian forces, who are “surplus in terms of manpower, artillery and aviation”. Faced with a growing lack of resources due in particular to the blocking of American military aid, Ukraine could hardly avoid this withdrawal. Russia, which, with more soldiers and ammunition, pushed its troops to obtain a conquest a few days before the second anniversary of the start of the invasion, on February 24.

A “fair decision”, according to Volodymyr Zelensky

“It was a professional decision to save as many lives as possible (…) it was a fair decision”, the Ukrainian president reacted on Saturday from the podium of the Munich Conference (Germany) on security. Volodymyr Zelensky also lamented that “keep Ukraine in an artificial deficit of weapons, in particular artillery and long-range capabilities” according to him, favors the progression of Russian troops.

Avdiïvka, which had around 34,000 inhabitants before the Russian invasion launched in February 2022, has an important symbolic value. The city is now largely destroyed but some 900 civilians remain there, according to local authorities. Moscow hopes its capture will make Ukrainian bombing of Donetsk more difficult.