The Ukrainian army has recently withdrawn from the city of Avdiivka, which is situated along the eastern front. This city has been under a severe Russian offensive for a prolonged period of months. In the wake of the Ukrainian army’s withdrawal, Moscow has secured its most prominent victory since the failure of the counteroffensive led by Kiev during the summer of last year. General Tarnavski, in a message delivered via Telegram, stated, “According to the order received, we retreated from Avdiivka to the positions prepared in advance“. This message was relayed after the general had acknowledged that active combat was occurring within the city streets.
Since October, the Ukrainian soldiers, despite being in a position of numerical and material inferiority, have valiantly resisted the Russian onslaught against this small town intimately connected to the basin mining industry of Donbass. The situation in the town had reached a particularly critical juncture in the recent past. The general justified the decision to withdraw, stating, “In the situation in which the enemy advances on the corpses of its soldiers and has ten times more howitzers, this is the only good solution”.
General Tarnavski stressed that his forces have succeeded in avoiding encirclement by enemy forces and have already assumed their positions along the newly established defense lines. The decision to withdraw from Avdiivka marks the first significant military decision made by Kiev’s newly appointed commander-in-chief, Oleksander Sirski, who assumed his role on February 8. Sirski noted on his Facebook page, “I decided to withdraw our units from the city and move to defense on more favorable lines“. He further added that the soldiers carried out their military duties with dignity and did everything within their power to combat and inflict significant losses on premier Russian military units.
The importance of Avdiivka
Avdiivka has grown to symbolize the resilience of Kiev’s forces, especially as we approach the second anniversary of the invasion initiated by Moscow against the former Soviet republic on February 24, 2022. The city was briefly occupied by pro-Russian separatists in July 2014, but was subsequently reclaimed by Kiev, which has retained control over the city despite its close proximity to Donetsk, a key separatist stronghold in eastern Ukraine.
Avdiivka represents the most significant advance for Russia since the conquest of Bakhmut in May 2023, a period marked by intense fighting that resulted in thousands of casualties. Despite the widespread destruction, approximately 900 civilians continue to reside in the city, as per the local authorities. The Russian administration hopes that its takeover of the city will complicate Ukraine’s bombing efforts aimed at Donetsk.
On a diplomatic front, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently undertook a diplomatic tour of Berlin and Paris in an effort to ensure continued support from Western powers. During his tour, he signed security agreements with Olaf Scholz, the head of the German government, and Emmanuel Macron, the French president. The agreements encompass an increase in military aid. Today, Zelensky is expected to advocate for ongoing international financial support at the Munich Security Conference, especially since the delivery of funds from the United States, a primary donor, is currently suspended due to a legislative deadlock between the Democrats and Republicans. In the wake of the failure of its counteroffensive during the summer of 2023, Ukraine has been confronted by aggressive Russian troops, widespread shortages of manpower, weapons, and ammunition, and uncertainty surrounding the continuation of Western aid. Zelensky stated, “We are doing everything possible to ensure that our fighters have sufficient organizational and technological capabilities to save as many Ukrainian lives as possible.” The Kiel Institute, a German research institution, stated on Friday that the European Union will need to “at least double military aid” to Ukraine to make up for the lack of action from the United States.
