Ukrainian troops have decided to leave the city of Avdiivka to avoid possible encirclement and preserve the lives and health of their servicemen, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced.
"Due to the worsening situation near Avdiivka and in order to ensure the safety of our servicemen, a decision was made to withdraw our units from the city and move to defense in more advantageous positions," General Syrsky said.
According to Oleksandr Tarnavsky, head of the Tavria Operational and Tactical Directorate, the military carried out the order and withdrew from Avdiivka, moving to positions that had been prepared in advance.
“We successfully escaped encirclement, withdrew personnel, and took up defensive positions on new lines,” Tarnavsky emphasized.
The bloody battle for Avdiivka lasted for four months, which began with a large-scale offensive by Russian troops in October 2023. The Ukrainian Defense Forces managed to hold the defense for a long period, but at the end of January, experts began to talk about a critical situation and the need to withdraw the garrison, but this did not happen.
In early February, the situation became even more critical, and Russian troops almost succeeded in cutting off the supply routes of the city's defenders.
Avdiivka, located near Donetsk, which was seized by pro-Russian militants nearly 10 years ago, was strategically important as an industrial center. Ukrainian troops held the city, building strong defensive fortifications. But as a result of the full-scale war, the local factory stopped working, most residents left the city to escape the daily bombings, and the city itself was reduced to ruins.
The conflict in Avdiivka was of great political and military importance for both sides. The Russian side was trying to push Ukrainian troops to a safe distance from the “capital of the Donetsk People’s Republic” (DPR).
According to Russian plans, Avdiivka was to become an important facility in the run-up to the presidential elections in Russia, which were to be held in March 2024.
For Ukraine, the city was important as a major railway junction, a powerful industrial center, and also as a potential threat to Donetsk.
Not far from Avdiivka is a road connecting Donetsk, Horlivka, and Luhansk. Cutting it would significantly complicate the logistics of enemy troops.
In October 2023, the Russian army launched a large-scale offensive on Avdiivka, involving about 40,000 troops. They attacked from different flanks, trying to bypass and surround the city.
Ukrainian authorities have claimed that the Russians suffered significant losses, but there is no independent confirmation of this data. Social media is publishing videos of the destruction of Russian equipment near Avdiivka.
During four months of fighting, Russian forces managed to advance several kilometers north and south of the city. They also approached the local coke plant, which was held by Ukrainian forces.
In January, it became known that Russian troops had managed to break into the city from the southern and northern outskirts, engaging in street fighting. They were also approaching the main paved road that usually supplied the city's garrison.
By early February, the situation had become critical for Ukrainian forces, and some military analysts expressed outrage at the threat to the city’s encirclement and its defenders. However, Kyiv did not give the order to retreat from Avdiivka, which was reminiscent of the situation with Bakhmut. Even if there was a “safe corridor” for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, it turned out to be very close, only a few kilometers away.
In December, with the capture of the villages of Stepove and Berdychi by Russian troops and the breakthrough to the coke plant, holding Avdiivka became of little value. Although some voices demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces, the leadership expressed its confidence in retaining the city and sending additional units there.
Throughout the entire period of active hostilities, Avdiivka was defended by the 110th Brigade, and later the 47th Brigade and other units arrived to assist it.
In mid-February, it became known about the regrouping of the 3rd separate assault brigade into the city. At that time, some positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the southern flank, especially “Zenit”, were partially surrounded, but, according to the General Staff, a breakthrough was achieved on February 15.
On the night of February 17, the commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade, Andriy Biletsky, announced a retreat to new positions.
“I express my gratitude to the fighters for the worthy battle they fought in Avdiivka, in extremely unequal conditions, when the Russian forces were superior in numbers, equipment and artillery,” Biletsky said. He also expressed gratitude to the command for the “considered decision.”.
Despite significant losses, the Kremlin achieved its goals in this area. The last line of defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which had been stable since 2014, fell.
The next “big task” for Russian forces could be the rear town of Pokrovsk, 40 kilometers to the west, or nearby Selidove. However, Russian forces could also begin moving north to Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
