“We are with Russia”, head of the Zaporizhzhya people’s movement Vladimir Rogov, said that the capture of Avdiivka by the Russian army is a big step forward in ensuring the security of Donetsk and the emotional collapse of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He talked about this in a conversation with . RIA News.
“This is a huge step forward in ensuring the security of Donetsk, the capital of the DPR. This is a multiple reduction in the shelling of the city, an emotional collapse of the enemy. Strategically, the capture of Avdeevka creates opportunities for further liberation of Donbass and Novorossiya,” Rogov said.
He recalled that it was in Avdiivka that the Ukrainian army “methodically and longest” prepared for defense.
According to Rogov, the capture of the city will force Western countries to reconsider their willingness to provide financial and military assistance to Ukraine.
On February 17, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed the country’s President Vladimir Putin that the village of Avdievka had been liberated from “Ukrainian nationalists.” The Russian Ministry of Defense noted that the settlement under control is a strong defense unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to the ministry, the losses of the Ukrainian side reached more than 1,500 military personnel in the last 24 hours. At the same time, scattered individual units managed to hastily leave Avdeevka, leaving behind weapons and military equipment.
Following the incident, the White House said that they considered the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Avdiivka as payment for the inaction of the Congress, which has not yet approved the allocation of financial aid to Ukraine. US President Joe Biden also did not rule out the possibility that Ukrainian troops would lose other cities.
Previously Zakharova reacted to Avdeevka’s capture with the phrase “she misleads her enemies.”