Capturing Avdievka could provide Russia with a morale boost ahead of Putin’s re-election bid.
Moscow/Kyiv:
Russia said on Sunday it had taken full control of the Ukrainian town of Avdivka after Ukraine withdrew its troops, although Moscow said some Ukrainian troops remained holed up in a massive Soviet-era coking plant after one of the fiercest wars inside.
The fall of Avdievka is Russia’s biggest gain since seizing the city of Bakmut in May 2023, nearly two years after President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine that triggered an all-out war.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its troops had advanced 8.6 kilometers (5.3 miles) on that part of the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front, where Russian troops were advancing after a deadly urban battle that left the town almost Completely paralyzed. A sparsely populated wreckage.
Ukraine said it had withdrawn its soldiers to avoid a full siege after months of fierce fighting. Putin hailed the fall of Avdivka as an important victory and congratulated Russian troops.
Moscow has been trying to neutralize Ukrainian forces after Ukraine failed to break through Russian defenses last year, as Kiev considers a major new mobilization and President Zelenskiy appoints a new commander to lead the war.
“The head of state congratulates Russian soldiers on this success, which is an important victory,” the Kremlin said in a statement on its website.
But Russia says some Ukrainian troops remain holed up inside the Soviet-era coke plant in Avdivka, once one of the largest in Europe and crucial to Russia’s goal of ensuring full control of the industrial Donbass region.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said: “Measures are being taken to completely clear the town of militants and blockade Ukrainian troops who left the town and entrenched themselves at the Avdievka coke chemical plant.”
Ukrainian authorities have yet to comment publicly. Russian state television showed the blue and yellow Ukrainian flags in Avdievka being lowered and the Russian tricolor flag of white, blue and red raised, including over the coke plant.
Russia views Ukraine’s withdrawal as hasty and chaotic, leaving some soldiers and weapons behind. The Ukrainian military stated that there were indeed casualties, but the situation had stabilized after the withdrawal.
Putin sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine in February 2022, triggering an all-out war in eastern Ukraine after eight years of conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian Ukrainians and Russian proxies.
Avdiivka, known to Russians as Avdeyevka, has endured a decade of conflict. It holds special symbolic significance for Russia because it was briefly occupied in 2014 by Moscow-backed separatists who seized large swaths of eastern Ukraine but were later retaken by Ukrainian forces who built extensive fortifications.
weapons shortage
U.S. President Joe Biden has warned that Avdiivka could fall into the hands of Russian forces due to ammunition shortages after months of opposition in the Republican Congress to new U.S. military aid for Kiev.
Biden called Zelensky on Saturday to emphasize the United States’ continued commitment to supporting Ukraine and reiterate the need for Congress to urgently pass the plan, a White House statement said.
The White House said the withdrawal was “due to dwindling supplies due to congressional inaction,” which forced Ukrainian soldiers to ration ammunition and led to “the first significant Russian gains in months.”
Zelensky urged allies to address “artificial” weapons shortages at a global security conference in Munich on Saturday and said it was imperative that the United States stop aid. He praised his troops for “exhausting” Russian forces at Avdiivka and suggested the withdrawal was partly due to a lack of weapons.
“Now (the army) will be replenished, they will be waiting for the weapons, but they are simply not enough, not enough at all,” he said. “Russia has long-range weapons and we don’t have enough.”
Boost for Russia
Capturing Avdievka could boost Russian morale ahead of Putin’s re-election campaign next month, which he is almost certain to win.
It is also seen as another step towards ensuring Moscow controls the center of the Donetsk region. The center of the Donetsk region, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east, has been controlled by Russian and pro-Russian forces since 2014.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine detailed their losses in the war or in the fierce fighting at Avdievka. Western intelligence assesses that hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or injured in the war on both sides.
Putin congratulated Gen. Andrei Mordvichev, the Russian commander responsible for the attack on Avdievka.
“The heroes who died in the execution of special military operations missions will be immortalized!” Putin said in the telegram.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Avdievka showed the need for modern air defense systems to counter guided bombs and long-range weapons to destroy enemy formations. He said shells were also needed.
Gen. Alexander Silsky, who commands Ukrainian forces in a major reshuffle last week, said Ukrainian troops had withdrawn to safer positions outside the town “to avoid a siege and protect the lives and health of service personnel.”
Ukraine’s 3rd Commando Brigade, which officials said was deployed to Avdivka this week, said on Telegram that it had withdrawn to prepared positions on the outskirts of Avdivka and had leveled the front line.
“At this time, the Russians are not slowing down their attacks. We continue to hold our defense lines in the Avdiivka area,” the statement said.
Separately, the Ukrainian military said on Sunday that Ukrainian troops repelled a Russian offensive on the southern front line in the Zaporozhye region.
Russia has yet to comment.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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