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War in Ukraine: the Ukrainian army withdrew from the town of Avdiivka
War in Ukraine: the Ukrainian army withdrew from the town of Avdiïvka – (franceinfo)
Ukraine suffers a military setback. The army had to abandon the town of Avdiivka, in the east of the country, to Russian forces on Saturday February 17. This city has been defended since 2014.
Until a few days ago, Ukrainian soldiers were fighting to maintain control of Avdiivka. On the night of Friday February 16 to Saturday February 17, they were forced to abandon. They conceded the city to Russia, their biggest symbolic victory since the failure of the counter-offensive launched by kyiv last summer. “In accordance with the order received, we withdrew from Avdiïvka to positions prepared in advance. (…) This is the only right decision”said Oleksandr Tarnavsky, a Ukrainian general.
Many Ukrainians captured
Avdiïvka, an industrial city located near Donetsk, is now a ruined town devastated by the war. 34,000 inhabitants lived here before the Russian invasion, only 900 of them still remain in the city. According to a commander, most civilians live in basements. Russian soldiers were more numerous on this front. The Ukrainians, overwhelmed by their artillery and their air force, were numerous to be captured in the fighting.
