Life is “the highest value”
Ukrainian army withdraws from Avdiivka
February 17, 2024, 1:58 a.m
The commander in chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Syrskyj, justifies the step by saying that he wants to avoid encirclement and protect the lives and health of the soldiers. He withdraws the units from the city in order to “defend on more favorable lines”.
The Ukrainian army is withdrawing from the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, which has been fought over for months, in the war against the Russian invaders. “In view of the operational situation around Avdiivka, I have decided to withdraw our units from the city and go into defense on more favorable lines in order to avoid encirclement and protect the life and health of the soldiers,” wrote the new Ukrainian commander-in-chief Olexander Syrskyj on the X and Facebook platforms – in Ukrainian and English.
Russia had been trying to take Avdiivka for months. The city, which had around 33,000 inhabitants before the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, is located in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. This is one of four regions that the Kremlin declared to be annexed in 2022. The Ukrainian withdrawal from Avdiivka is probably the most significant gain in territory for Moscow since Russia captured the city of Bakhmut last May after months of bloody fighting.
Inflicted “significant losses” on the enemy
“Our soldiers fulfilled their military duty with dignity, did everything to destroy the best Russian military units and inflicted significant losses on the enemy in manpower and equipment,” Syrskyj continued. “We are taking measures to stabilize the situation and maintain our positions. The lives of military personnel are the highest value.”
The soldiers “withdrew to previously prepared positions in accordance with an order from Avdiivka,” wrote General Oleksandr Tarnavskij, who is responsible for the sector of the front, in the Telegram online service. A few hours earlier, Tarnavsky had already reported the withdrawal from several positions in Avdiivka and the capture of several Ukrainian soldiers by the Russian army.