Europe

Home page

Europe

Ukrainian forces give up some positions in Avdiivka

16 February 2024 17:14 (UTC +04:00)

Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from some positions in Avdiivka, APA reports citing the Guardian.

“New positions have been prepared and powerful fortifications continue to be prepared, taking into account all possible scenarios,” said Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, the Ukrainian commander responsible for forces in the south-east of the country, in a statement on social media on Friday. “Our troops are using all available forces and means to restrain the enemy,” he added.

Ukraine’s recently appointed army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, has sent in reinforcements to aid the defence of Avdiivka, but the new announcements suggest Kyiv may be preparing for a retreat from the city, which is surrounded on three sides by Russian forces.

“We value every piece of Ukrainian land, but the highest value and priority for us is the preservation of the life of a Ukrainian soldier,” said Tarnavskiy.

John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, said in a briefing on Thursday that Avdiivka was at risk of falling under Russian control. “In very large part, this is happening because the Ukrainian forces on the ground are running out of artillery ammunition,” he said.

At a forest base near a section of the frontline in Donetsk region, west of Avdiivka, soldiers from a self-propelled artillery unit that forms part of Ukraine’s First Tank Brigade said during a visit on Thursday that their ability to strike the Russians had been cut dramatically since November.

“Back then, we could fire every half hour, to stop them from relaxing and disrupt their movements, now we have to be very selective, and only fire for defence,” said their commander, who gave his call-sign, Titushko, in accordance with Ukrainian army regulations.

“We cannot target only one vehicle, we only aim when we see a concentration of hardware,” he added.