Ukrainian troops withdrew from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka, Kyiv's military chief said on Saturday, paving the way for Russia's biggest advance since it captured the city of Bakhmut last May.
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, which had a pre-war population of 32,000.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised his troops for "exhausting" Russian forces in Avdiivka and said he agreed with the decision to withdraw in order to save lives.
U.S. President Joe Biden warned earlier this week that Avdiivka could fall to Russian forces because of ammunition shortages following months of Republican congressional opposition to a new U.S. military aid package for Kyiv.
The Russian defense ministry did not single out the battle for Avdiivka in a statement on Saturday, but said that Russian forces had "improved their positions" on the Donetsk front.
Persons:
Oleksandr Syrskyi, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Syrskyi
Organizations:
Kyiv, Munich Security, Avdiivka
Locations:
Russian, Avdiivka, Ukraine, Russia, Donetsk Region, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, U.S, Donetsk