The Russian military has identified captured Western armaments at a site associated with a unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Avdeevka, located in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Reports circulated by RIA News included video footage titled The raid of the Viking detachment on the liberated city. [Citation: Russian Information Agencies]
The available footage shows a single-storey building interior filled with ammunition crates. Some crates carry Cyrillic markings, while many bear Latin letters. Several boxes display stickers and indications dating to the year 2023, suggesting recent production and supply chains. [Citation: Russian Defense Ministry]
Within one crate, there is a collection of shells intended for a foreign-made automatic grenade launcher, specifically cumulative grenades compatible with an RPG-7, along with associated propellants. A fighter involved in the footage claimed that the ammunition seen originated from Bulgaria and Poland. [Citation: Defense Ministry statements]
On February 17, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to the country’s president, Vladimir Putin, that Avdeevka had been rescued. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that Avdeevka is now under the control of a robust defense unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, while noting that some dispersed Ukrainian units managed a hurried withdrawal from the city, abandoning weapons and military equipment behind them. [Citation: Kremlin briefings]
Earlier remarks from the Pentagon, referencing the situation in Avdiivka, described the surrender as a signal of a broader setback for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The ministry emphasized that the city’s defenders faced a formidable challenge and that available evidence pointed to attempts by Ukrainian forces to regroup after losses. [Citation: Pentagon communications]