Ukraine forces leave the strategically important eastern town of Avdiivka

The Ukrainian military has declared that it is pulling out of Avdiivka, a strategically important town that has recently seen one of the most hotly fought battles on the eastern front. The action came after Moscow escalated its bombardment of the region, launching wave after wave of ground assaults by soldiers and armored vehicles in addition to heavy artillery and airstrikes. Although the town has little strategic value, Avdiivka represents Moscow’sMoscow’s largest victory since taking Bakhmut last year and shows how the war seems to be shifting in Putin’s favour. In the meantime, shortages of both manpower and ammunition are adding to the pressure that Ukraine is under once again on the eastern front. The decision to withdraw from Avdiivka was made in order to “save our soldiers’ lives,” according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was speaking on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference. It was decided to withdraw to other lines so as not to get surrounded. This does not imply that people withdrew a few kilometres and that Russia gained anything; on the contrary, he continued. Since 2014, when Russian-backed fighters captured much of the Donbas region, including the neighboring city of Donetsk, Avdiivka has been at the forefront of the conflict. Since Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022, it has come under attack.

 Some troops captured

According to Tarnavskyi, the commander who has been in charge of the conflict in Avdiivka for several months, Ukrainian forces have resorted to a backup defense. “A certain number of Ukrainian servicemen were captured at the final stage of the operation under the pressure of the overwhelming enemy forces,” Tarnavskyi posted on Telegram. For weeks, the situation with Ukraine appeared precarious. Prominent infantry assault unit Third Assault Brigade was dispatched to the town this week to assist in re-enforcing troops as other Ukrainian forces withdrew from its southeast. The unit posted on social media that the fighting was “hell” and that, in some areas, Russian forces had outnumbered the Ukrainian defenders by a ratio of roughly six to 100. Russia has not disclosed the extent of its losses in the bloody battle for the town, but Western military analysts and Ukrainian officials claim that the Russian advances have cost an unbelievable amount of soldiers and armored cars. Less than 1,000 people still live in the town, which is located just north of Donetsk, which Russia controls but which Ukraine lost control of in 2014 as a result of an uprising led by Moscow’s proxies. A large coking plant in Avdiivka has been idle since the war.

An emblem of Ukraine’s hardships

Without a doubt, Avdiivka’s departure is a blow to Ukraine. Months after it was launched, a counteroffensive that sought to retake significant territory has failed, and the nation is beginning to notice that its once resolute support from the West is eroding, especially from the US, its main ally. Furthermore, bringing the war back to Russia will be extremely difficult for Syrskyi, Ukraine’s new army chief, given that his country is trailing behind in other areas of the front. In October, Moscow’s forces launched an offensive in the vicinity of Avdiivka. Since then, waves of soldiers and armored vehicles have been pressing it, turning it into a site of intense combat under constant Russian shelling. Russia had been focusing its efforts on taking over the surrounding areas and encircling Avdiivka.

He and his men were engaged in combat from all sides as Russian forces used a pincer movement against them. “Our assault team was required to hold a 150-meter-wide trench. In a rare interview with CNN, Sentsov stated, “We went in, took 50 meters, and could not push further because there was strong resistance by a lot of enemy infantry there.” In December, Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, referred to the fighting in the city as an “onslaught” and stated that it may “determine the overall course of the war” in numerous ways.

Applying pressure to the front

Following the town’s capture, Ukraine has been alerted to the possibility of a fresh Russian offensive along much of the front line, with intense fighting occurring in the northeast near the boundary between the regions of Kharkiv and Luhansk. Moscow’s forces have not made any significant progress there, but Ukraine has been obliged to cede some areas of territory that it had successfully retaken in the late summer of 2022. The recent wave of Russian offensives coincides with reports from Ukraine that it is severely short on ammunition, which is vital for its combat forces. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser warned late last year that “we are running out of money, and we are nearly out of time,” sparking growing concerns that Ukraine’s US lifeline is hanging by a thread. On February 7, in the face of a barrage of criticism from prominent House Republicans and former President Donald Trump, Senate Republicans blocked a significant bipartisan border agreement and foreign aid package that included aid for Israel and Ukraine. The White House is trying again to get Congress to approve military assistance for Ukraine, but it is not at all clear that House Republicans will back it.

Since the Hamas attack on Israel last year and the escalating conflict in the Middle East, there have been worries that Ukraine is falling further down the West’s agenda. Zelensky, meanwhile, announced early in February that General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces, had been fired. This was the largest military change since Russia began its full-scale invasion nearly two years prior. Putin has even greater motivation to win in Ukraine because of an upcoming election in Russia the following month. The head of the Kremlin is expected to win the election and serve as president until 2030. He is seeking a fifth term. As they look further ahead to 2024, NATO allies worry that Russian President Vladimir Putin might try a more extensive offensive after winning what is regarded as a formality in the eyes of outside observers in his country’s March presidential elections. We will be updating this story as it develops.