KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Russia said Saturday that its military has taken full control of a city in eastern Ukraine that has been the focus of intense fighting for months. The development could be used by the Russian military to boost morale to mark the second anniversary of the start of the war. Full-scale invasion of Ukraine The war is almost at a stalemate.
The announcement by the Russian Ministry of Defense was also made on the same day. commander of the ukrainian army He said troops were withdrawing from the city of Avdiivkain, where an outnumbered garrison had been fighting Russian attacks for four months.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told the Kremlin that the Russian military is working to eliminate the last holdouts at the Avdiivka coke and chemical plant, officials said in a statement. A video posted on social media on Saturday showed soldiers raising a Russian flag on one of the factory's buildings.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a personal message of congratulations to troops in the city, Russian state news agency TASS reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Avdiivka's arrest “an important victory.”
In addition to the upcoming February 24th anniversary of the invasion, Russia is also preparing for what is almost certainly a presidential election in March. give to president putin An additional six-year term. The Kremlin cracked down on dissent during the war. death Jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny's Friday silenced the voice of President Vladimir Putin's most feared enemy.
Ukraine is back on the defensive against Russia About 2 years of war, hampered by low ammunition supplies and manpower shortages. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky It warned allies that an “artificial shortage” of weapons to Ukraine risks giving Russia breathing room and allowing “Putin to adapt to the intensity of the current war.”
“Our actions… We are limited only by our power.”
In a short statement posted on Facebook, Col. Oleksandr Shirschiy said Ukrainian forces were moving to “more favorable fronts.”
“Our soldiers performed their military service with dignity and did everything possible to destroy the elite units of the Russian army, inflicting severe losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment.
“We are taking steps to stabilize the situation and maintain our position,” the statement said.
FILE – Ukrainian Marines of the 35th Brigade fire with an AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher at a Russian military position on the outskirts of Avdiivka, Ukraine, June 19, 2023. Ukraine's military is under intense pressure from Russia's determined efforts to storm its strategically important eastern region. According to officials from the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka. On the second anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion, Kiev's military is suffering from ammunition shortages as the Kremlin seeks victory on the battlefield ahead of Russia's presidential election in March. (AP Photo/Evgeny Maloletka, File)
The withdrawal is Shirsky's first major test since taking over as Ukraine's new army commander this month.
In his previous role as commander of Ukraine's ground forces, he faced criticism for sticking to the president's policies. Bahmut City The siege lasted nine months and was the longest and bloodiest battle of the war, inflicting heavy losses on Ukraine but also draining the Russian military.
Reports have recently surfaced that Ukrainian forces in Avdiika are facing a deteriorating situation.
Deputy Commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade Rodion Kudryashov said on Friday that Ukrainian forces were still holding out against the onslaught of about 15,000 Russian soldiers, but that the situation would “soon become critical.” He said he expected it.
“The enemy is trying to break through our defenses and in some places to bypass our positions,” he told The Associated Press.
The 3rd Brigade announced on its social media accounts on Friday that the soldiers were at the giant Avdiivka coke factory. According to the brigade, Russian jets have been dropping around 60 bombs a day, relentlessly shelling the area and launching attacks by armored and infantry troops.
Video footage showed thick black smoke billowing into the sky above the factory, which was said to be caused by a fire in a bunker. “Toxic smog spreads throughout the factory,” the post said.
Russian media have reported that Kremlin forces are making extensive use of plane-launched glide bombs that fly at shallower angles to attack Ukrainian positions.
Heavily fortified with a network of tunnels and concrete fortifications, Avdiivka is located on the northern outskirts. Donetsk, a city located in the region of the same name, partially occupied by Russian troops. The capture of Avdiivka could be a timely boost for Moscow and could trigger Russia to move deeper into the region.
Donetsk Governor Vadim Filashkin said fewer than 1,000 people remained in the city. The city, which had a pre-war population of around 31,000, is now a bombed-out remnant of its former life.
Aerial footage of Avdiivka obtained by The Associated Press in December showed an apocalyptic scene And the bodies of about 150 soldiers, most of them in Russian military uniforms, were scattered along the trees where they had sought shelter, hinting at Russia's staggering losses.
But the Institute for War Studies, a Washington think tank, said on Thursday that the capture of Avdiivka was a symbolic victory for the Kremlin and would not result in significant changes to the 1,500-kilometre (930-mile) front. I haven't moved much in recent months.
“A possible Russian occupation of Avdiivka is of no operational importance and would probably only provide the Kremlin with an immediate informational and political victory,” the institute said in its assessment.
“Even if Russian forces were to occupy the settlement, it is highly unlikely that Russian forces would make a rapid operationally significant advance from Avdiivka, and at best the chances of Russia seizing Avdiivka would be limited to further limited tactical “It will set conditions for the benefit of the public,” he added.
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Mr. Hutton reported from Lisbon, Portugal.
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