On Saturday, Ukraine’s new army chief said that the Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka, setting the way for Russia’s biggest advance since May 2023, when it grabbed Bakhmut.
“The pullback, ordered as Ukraine faces acute shortages of ammunition with U.S. military aid delayed for months in Congress, aimed to save troops from being fully surrounded by Russian forces after months of fierce fighting”, Kyiv stated.
General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who took command of the Ukrainian military following a significant shakeup last week, said Ukrainian soldiers had returned to safer positions outside the town, which had a pre-war population of 32,000.
In a statement, Syrskyi said, “I decided to withdraw our units from the town and move to defence from more favorable lines to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of servicemen”.
The town’s loss over two years into Russia’s full-scale invasion may strengthen President Volodymyr Zelensky a appeal to the West for more urgent military aid when he attends the Munich Security Conference on Saturday morning.
U.S. President Joe Biden stated on Thursday that Avdiivka was at risk of succumbing to Russian forces due to ammunition shortages following months of Republican congressional rejection of a new U.S. military aid package for Ukraine.
Capturing Avdiivka is critical to Russia’s goal of gaining complete control of the two provinces that comprise the industrial Donbas region, and it might give President Vladimir Putin a battlefield victory as he seeks re-election next month.
Avdiivka has borne the brunt of Russia’s mounting offensive push in the east, as dwindling Western military supplies have exacerbated the exhaustion of troops battling for almost two years.
“We are taking measures to stabilize the situation and maintain our positions”, Syrskyi added.
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