Ukrainian soldiers surrendered and withdrew massively from the stronghold of Avdiivka 0
(Dan Tri) – The Russian Ministry of Defense said Ukrainian soldiers in Avdiivka surrendered en masse after Moscow declared control of the city.
Military vehicles pass through a ruined building in Avdiivka (Photo: Reuters).
According to Tass news agency, the Russian Ministry of Defense said on February 23 that Moscow forces recorded the mass surrender of Ukrainian soldiers in the city of Avdiivka.
`We captured about 200 prisoners of war after the raid and according to information received, we plan to search for about 100 prisoners of war in the coming days,` the Russian Defense Ministry added.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian troops were pushed back more than 10km after Moscow declared complete control of the city of Avdiivka.
`Commander of the Central Military District, General Andrey Mordvichev, reported to the Russian Defense Minister that the enemy was pushed back from holding positions by more than 10km during the operation to control Avdiivka. The Russian army continued to advance.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has directed the provision of all necessary resources to the forces in Avdiivka.
`Despite Kiev authorities’ complaints about the severe shortage of artillery shells, the intensity of enemy artillery activity has not decreased,` General Mordvichev reported.
According to Ukraine’s 3rd Independent Assault Brigade, Russia is looking for the `weakness` of the Ukrainian defense forces on the Avdiivka front.
`The enemy is trying to find out where our weak points are. They are conducting attacks in different places. It seems like the landing troops are constantly rotating. They keep sending troops in. But they
Mr. Borodin noted that Russia is trying to approach `Ukrainian positions` in small groups.
Ukraine’s 3rd Independent Assault Brigade also posted a video recording the night battle on the Avdiivka front, and announced that 35 Russian soldiers were killed and 9 others were captured.
Defense Minister Shoigu said Russia conducted the operation to gain control of Avdiivka with minimal losses.
According to Mr. Shoigu, video footage from a Russian drone shows that the process of withdrawing Ukrainian troops from Avdiivka was chaotic.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said he decided to withdraw troops from Avdiivka `to avoid being surrounded and preserve the lives and health of soldiers.`
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that after taking control of Avdiivka, Russian forces will continue to attack in order to `continue to further control the (self-proclaimed) Donetsk People’s Republic from Ukrainian nationalists`.
Ukraine said the Russian army had conducted many attacks west of Avdiivka to gain more advantages on the battlefield.
Avdiivka belongs to Donetsk, considered the gateway to the Donbass region, Eastern Ukraine.
