“The head of state congratulated Russian soldiers on this success, an important victory,” the Kremlin said in a statement on its website.
Biden blames US lawmakers’ ‘inaction’ for fall of Ukraine’s Avdiivka
Biden blames US lawmakers’ ‘inaction’ for fall of Ukraine’s Avdiivka
But Russia said some Ukrainian forces were still holed up at the Soviet-era coke plant, once one of Europe’s biggest, in Avdiivka, which is key to Russia’s aim of securing full control of the industrial Donbas region.
“Measures are being taken to completely clear the town of militants and to block Ukrainian units that have left the town and are entrenched at the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant,” Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
There was no public comment yet by Ukrainian authorities on this.
The Russian defence ministry said Russia had taken about 32 square kilometres (12 square miles) of territory in the advance amid heavy losses for Ukraine. It gave no figures for Russian losses, which Ukraine says are huge.
Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the full-scale war after eight years of conflict in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian forces on the one side and pro-Russian Ukrainians and Russian proxies on the other.
In boost for Russia, Ukraine withdraws from Avdiivka to ‘preserve lives’
In boost for Russia, Ukraine withdraws from Avdiivka to ‘preserve lives’
Avdiivka, which had a pre-war population of around 32,000 and is called Avdeyevka by Russians, was briefly taken in 2014 by Moscow-backed separatists who seized a swathe of eastern Ukraine but was recaptured by Ukrainian troops who built extensive fortifications.
A White House statement said Biden called Zelensky on Saturday to underscore the US commitment to continue supporting Ukraine and reiterated the need for Congress to urgently pass the package.
The White House said the withdrawal had been forced upon Ukraine “by dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction,” that had forced Ukrainian soldiers to ration 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 an “artificial” shortage of weapons and said stalled US aid was imperative. He praised his troops for “exhausting” Russian forces in Avdiivka and suggested the withdrawal was partly caused by a lack of weapons.
“Now, [the military] will replenish, they will wait for the relevant weapons, of which there simply weren’t enough, simply aren’t enough,” he said. “Russia has long-range weapons, while we simply don’t have enough.”
In a post on X, Zelensky expressed hope that the US Congress would make a “wise decision”.
Capturing Avdiivka is likely to provide a morale boost for 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 hold on the regional centre of Donetsk, about 20km (12 miles) to the east, 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 assessments say hundreds of thousands of men on both sides have been killed or wounded in the war.
Biden says ‘Putin and his thugs’ caused Navalny’s death
Biden says ‘Putin and his thugs’ caused Navalny’s death
Putin congratulated the Russian commander in charge of the assault on Avdiivka, Colonel-General Andrei Mordvichev.
“Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in fulfilling the tasks of the special military operation!” Putin said in a telegram.
Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who took command of the Ukrainian military in a major shake-up last week, said Ukrainian forces had moved back to more secure positions outside the town “to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of servicemen”.