A general view of smoke rising from the Avdiivka coke and chemical plant on February 15, 2023 in Avdiivka region, Ukraine.
Kostiantyn Liberov | Getty Images
Russia said on Sunday it was in full control of the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka after Ukraine withdrew, although Moscow said some Ukrainian troops were still inside a massive Soviet-era coke factory after one of the heaviest battles of the war .
The fall of Avdiivka is Russia’s biggest gain since it captured the city of Bakhmut in May 2023 and comes nearly two years since President Vladimir Putin sparked a full-scale war by ordering an invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s defense ministry said its troops had advanced 8.6 kilometers (5.3 miles) on that stretch of the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front and that Russian troops were pushing forward after a deadly urban battle that left the city almost completely. deserted shipwreck.
Ukraine said it withdrew its troops to save the troops from being completely encircled after months of fierce fighting. Putin hailed the fall of Avdiivka as a major victory and congratulated Russian troops.
After Ukraine’s failure to break through Russian lines last year, Moscow is trying to crush Ukrainian forces as Kiev contemplates a major new mobilization and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appoints a new commander to lead the war.
“The head of state congratulated Russian soldiers on this success, an important victory,” the Kremlin said in a statement on its website.
But Russia said some Ukrainian forces were still at the Soviet-era coke plant, once one of Europe’s largest, at Avdiivka, which is key to Russia’s goal of securing full control of the Donbass industrial region.
“Measures are being taken to completely clear the city of militants and to block Ukrainian units that have left the city and are entrenched at the Avdiivka coke and chemical plant,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
There has been no public comment from the Ukrainian authorities on this yet. Russian state television showed blue and yellow Ukrainian flags being lowered in Avdiivka and the white, blue and red tricolor flag of Russia being raised, including the coke factory.
Russia has described the Ukrainian withdrawal as hasty and chaotic, with some soldiers and weapons left behind. The Ukrainian military said there were casualties but that the situation had somewhat stabilized after the retreat.
Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, triggering full-scale war after eight years of conflict in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian forces on one side and pro-Russian Ukrainians and Russian proxies on the other.
Avdiivka, which Russians call Avdeyevka, has endured a decade of conflict. It has particular symbolism for Russia, having been briefly taken in 2014 by Moscow-backed separatists who seized part of eastern Ukraine, but were later retaken by Ukrainian troops who built extensive fortifications.
Weapons shortages
A White House statement said Biden called Zelensky on Saturday to underscore the U.S. commitment to continued support for Ukraine and reiterated the need for the package to be passed by Congress as a matter of urgency.
The White House said the withdrawal was imposed on Ukraine “by reducing supplies as a result of congressional inaction,” which forced Ukrainian troops to procure ammunition and resulted in “Russia’s first notable gains in months.”
Zelensky urged allies at a global security conference in Munich on Saturday to plug the “artificial” arms shortage and said a freeze in US aid was imperative. He praised his troops for “exhausting” Russian forces at Avdiivka and suggested the withdrawal was partly caused by a lack of weapons.
“Now, (the military) will replenish, wait for the relevant weapons, of which there just weren’t enough, there just aren’t enough,” he said. “Russia has long-range weapons, and we just don’t have enough.”
Support for Russia
Avdiivka’s arrest is likely to provide a morale boost in Russia ahead of Putin’s bid for re-election next month, which he is almost certain to win.
It is also seen as another step towards securing Moscow’s sovereignty over the regional center of Donetsk, about 20 km (12 miles) to the east, which has been held by Russian and pro-Russian forces since 2014.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine have given details of their losses in the war or the intense battle for Avdiivka. Western intelligence estimates say hundreds of thousands of men on both sides have been killed or wounded in the war.
Putin congratulated the Russian commander responsible for the attack on Avdiivka, General Andrei Mordvichev.
“Eternal glory to the heroes who fell while fulfilling the duties of the special military operation!” Putin said in a cable.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Avdiivka demonstrated the need for modern air defense systems to counter long-range guided bombs and weapons to destroy enemy formations. He said they also needed artillery shells.
Colonel Oleksandr Syrskyi, who took command of the Ukrainian army in a major coup last week, said Ukrainian forces had returned to safer positions outside the city “to avoid encirclement and preserve life and health of soldiers”.
Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade, which officials say deployed to Avdiivka this week, reported on Telegram that it had withdrawn to prepared positions on the outskirts of Avdiivka and flattened the front line.
“Right now, the Russians are not slowing down their offensive. We continue to hold the line in the Avdiivka area,” he said.
Separately, Ukrainian forces repelled a Russian offensive on the southern front in the Zaporizhia region, the Ukrainian military said on Sunday.
There has been no comment from the Russian side yet.