The capture of Avdievka by the Russian army is “the clearest sign” that the course of hostilities has turned in Moscow’s favor, he writes Reuters.
The text says, “This is the clearest sign that the course of the war has turned in Moscow’s favor after Ukraine’s counter-attack last year, in which it failed to break Russia’s positions.”
The document states that capturing the city “will likely boost Russian morale” on the eve of presidential elections.
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 The State Duma called the capture of Avdeevka a success.