As the war with Ukraine enters its third year, Russia reaps its biggest gains since capturing Bakhmut in May.
Russia says it has full control of the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka after Ukraine withdrew, with some Ukrainian troops still holed up in a vast Soviet-era coke factory after one of the heaviest fighting of the war. He added that
The fall of Avdiivka is Russia's biggest achievement since capturing the city of Bakhmut in May 2023, almost two years after President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine and sparked an all-out war.
Russia's Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Russian troops had advanced 8.6 kilometers (5.3 miles) on that part of a 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) front, following deadly urban fighting that devastated towns. announced that it is moving forward. A nearly completely depopulated shipwreck.
President Putin hailed the fall of Avdiivka as an important victory and congratulated the Russian military.
“The head of state congratulated Russian soldiers on this successful and important victory,” the Kremlin said in a statement on its website.
Ukraine said it had withdrawn its soldiers to avoid a complete siege after months of heavy fighting. The Russian government is working to crush Ukraine's military just as Kiev considers a new major mobilization and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appoints a new commander to wage the war.
But Russia believes that parts of the Ukrainian military are still holed up in a Soviet-era coke factory in Avdiivka, once one of Europe's largest, which is key to Russia's goal of securing full control of the Donbass industrial region. Stated.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said: “Measures are being taken to completely remove the armed groups from the town and prevent Ukrainian troops from leaving the town and entrenching themselves at the coke and chemical plant in Avdiivka.” said.
Russian state television showed the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag being lowered in Avdiivka, and Russia's white, blue and red tricolor flag also being hoisted over coke factories. There has been no public comment from Ukrainian authorities regarding this matter.
President Putin sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine in February 2022, following an eight-year conflict in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian forces on one side and pro-Russian Ukrainians and Russian proxies on the other. It sparked an all-out war.
Avdiivka, called Avdiyevka by Russians, has endured a decade of conflict. The site has special symbolism for Russia because it was briefly occupied in 2014 by Moscow-backed separatists who occupied swathes of eastern Ukraine, but was later retaken by Ukrainian forces who built extensive fortifications. have.
Control of the city was key to Moscow's efforts to secure complete control of the industrial Donbass region. The loss of Avdiivka is a significant blow to Ukraine, which faces increasing difficulties in repelling Russian forces amid severe ammunition shortages and limited human resources.
Avdiivka's capture is likely to boost Russian morale ahead of President Putin's re-election next month, with his victory all but certain.
It is also seen as another step toward securing Moscow's control over the regional center of Donetsk, about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) to the east, which has been held by Russian and pro-Russian forces since 2014.
