As of: February 24, 2024, 5:05 a.m
By: Simon Schröder
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Press
Split
The heavily contested city of Avdiivka falls into Russian hands.
Due to a lack of ammunition, the Ukrainian armed forces had to retreat, leaving many soldiers behind.
Avdiivka – The chaotic withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the hard-fought city of Avdiivka is claiming its victims.
Even though the Russian army was only able to achieve a Pyrrhic victory here, the Ukrainian side also suffered heavy losses.
According to initial reports, the hasty and hasty retreat left many wounded soldiers behind.
Next setback in the Ukraine war: Up to 1,000 soldiers left behind in Avdiivka
The loss of Avdiivka is not only a symbolic but also a moral loss for Kiev in the Ukrainian war.
The Ukrainian army had to leave behind numerous wounded soldiers in the contested Donbass region.
This defeat could have a severe impact on already strained Ukrainian morale.
There is currently talk from the Ukrainian side of 850 to 1,000 soldiers left behind.
An exact figure cannot yet be confirmed, but Western assessments appear to confirm the extent of losses, the
New York Times
reports.
A Russian soldier walks through destroyed streets in Avdiivka.
© Stanislav Krasilnikov/IMAGO
Ukrainian general: Right decision to withdraw from Avdiivka
After Russia broke through an important supply line for Ukrainian troops, the Ukrainians tried to withdraw.
Around 50,000 Russian soldiers were mobilized in the battle for Avdiivka, as the city occupies a strategically important position in the Donbass region.
The reason why Russia is managing to take the city right now is due to a lack of ammunition on the Ukrainian side.
General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi commented on the situation.
“In a situation where the enemy is advancing under constant fire on the corpses of its own soldiers with a shell advantage of 10:1, this is the only correct solution,” as quoted by the
New York Times
.
After Ukraine's failed counterattack last year and the loss around Avdiivka, Ukrainian morale may be in danger.
Ukraine recently wanted to draft 500,000 citizens for the war, but this met with political headwinds and was blocked in parliament.
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Descriptions from the soldiers around Avdiivka show a chaotic retreat
Ukrainian voices put the current losses into perspective and try to downplay the situation.
Only six soldiers would have been captured, according to a Ukrainian commander, and Russia would not have been able to gain any significant strategic advantages by taking the city.
Western voices and Ukrainian soldiers, on the other hand, oppose this portrayal.
The retreat was not well planned and implemented, resulting in many falling into the hands of the Russian army.
On Saturday (February 19), Tarnawsky wrote on Telegram that despite good planning of the withdrawal, "in the final phase of the operation, under the pressure of superior enemy forces, some Ukrainian soldiers were captured."
BBC
interviews
with Ukrainian soldiers on the Avdiivka front described the chaotic retreat from the embattled city.
First-hand reports suggest a chaotic situation.
Commanders who resisted retreat until Russian troops surrounded them.
When the order to withdraw finally came, it was too late for some soldiers.
The loss of Avdiivka as a turning point in the Ukrainian war?
When the Ukrainian army decided to retreat and abandon the city, Avdiivka was already surrounded on three sides.
Only one street remained as an escape route from the city.
Another problem with the withdrawal was poor communication.
As the
New York Times
reports, some were already informed of the withdrawal, while others were still holding out.
The coming months will show whether the capture of Avdiivka actually represents a turning point in the Ukraine war, as the Russian side claims.
(SiSch)