The New York Times, citing Ukrainian and Western sources, said that when Russian troops withdrew from Avdiivka over the weekend, it was likely that more than a thousand Ukrainian servicemen were captured. The newspaper notes that the withdrawal of troops from the Donbass region of Ukraine will bring great damage to Kyiv and will seriously affect the morale of the already low army.
Alexander Heilsky, Ukraine's new senior military officer, announced on Friday that his troops had withdrawn from a key city located within 10 kilometers of the outskirts of Donetsk. The next day, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the arrest of Avdiivka and declared that the Ukrainian army had suffered significant losses in this operation.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that according to two anonymous Ukrainian military personnel, there were about 850 to 1,000 people captured and missing. The report said that a Western official source, who did not want to be named, believes that this figure is correct.
Although the official US claims not to see that the loss of Avdiivka is an important strategic value for Ukraine, the New York Times notes that "hundreds of servicemen, especially those who have experienced the war, will be in great trouble if they are **." The newspaper also said that for several months, the Ukrainian military has been struggling with a shortage of manpower and noted that the Russian army failed to complete the conscription task during the Ukrainian summer counterattack.
Ukrainian forces claim that the number of prisoners has increased significantly due to a lack of careful planning. The New York Times reported that the Kiev military was similarly surprised by the incredible pace of the Moscow military last week, with Ukrainian elites trying to slow their pace but to no avail.
The report says that the Ukrainian army, with the use of various radio stations, has poor communications, which is also one of the reasons.
Alexander Tarnasky, commander of the Ukrainian army, on Saturday, in this region, he said that the evacuation was carried out according to the schedule. However, he also said that "some Ukrainian soldiers **," however, he did not give detailed data. His press spokesman, Dmitry Likhovy, denied that reports of hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners were fake.