The Great Ukrainian Retreat
In the early morning of February 17, local time, Syrsky, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, announced on social ** that under the current war situation, in order to avoid the encirclement of the Ukrainian army and protect the lives and health of Ukrainian officers and soldiers, he decided to withdraw the Ukrainian army from Avdeyevka in eastern Ukraine to a more favorable line of defense for defensive operations.
Syrsky said that the Ukrainian army stationed in Avdeyevka has fulfilled its combat mission, causing serious losses to the best troops and equipment of the Russian army. After the move, the Ukrainian army is taking measures to stabilize the situation on the front line and new positions.
The commander of the Ukrainian army, Alexander Tarnavsky, who is in charge of the defense of Avdeyevka, posted on social ** in the early morning of February 17 that according to the orders received, the Ukrainian troops in Avdeyevka have moved to the designated positions. Under the Russian army's ten-to-one artillery superiority and continuous bombardment, withdrawal is the only correct choice for the Ukrainian army.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, U.S. Zelensky, who is visiting Germany, said at a press conference on February 16 that the situation in Avdeyevka has been extremely difficult in the past few daysThe first task of the leadership of the Ukrainian army is to take all measures to protect the lives of officers and soldiers.
Since the beginning of October last year, the Russian army has launched a new large-scale offensive against the Ukrainian army's defense lines in Avdeyevka, Kupyansk, Maryinka, and **mut in eastern Ukraine.
On the second anniversary of the escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, this is considered the biggest victory achieved by the Russian army since it conquered the transportation point of **mut (known in Russians as Artyomovsk) in May last year.
The timing is crucial as February 24 marks the second anniversary of Russia's military operation in Ukraine and as Russia seeks to boost morale ahead of Russia's ** elections in March.
Ukraine** Zelenskyy visited Europe again on Friday, hoping to urge Ukraine's Western allies to continue providing military support. Ukraine, Germany and France** confirmed that Zelensky is scheduled to visit Germany and France on February 16 local time and will sign bilateral security agreements respectively.
A White House spokesman warned on Thursday that Avdeyevka was at risk of falling into Russian hands, a development he blamed "in large part" on the impending run of ammunition for the Ukrainian army.
The United States is the largest single supporter of Ukraine, but political divisions among American lawmakers have hampered the country's provision of about $60 billion to Kyiv. Biden's 2024 budget for Ukraine is $60 billion to Congress, and Biden's aid bill has been passed in the Democratic-controlled Senate, but faces greater obstacles in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
Ukraine's General Staff said on Friday that Russian forces had carried out 33 attacks in Avdeyevka in the past 24 hours. The Russians have been trying to capture the city since last October, but have made only gradual progress before the latest offensive.
Ukraine** Zelensky said that it was right to withdraw troops from Avdeyevka, an important town in the Donetsk region. He pointed out that since October 2023, the Ukrainian army has consumed a lot of resources of the Russian army in the area and caused it to suffer losses of tens of thousands of people, and the Ukrainian army has completed its mission.
According to reference news, according to AFP on February 17, Ukrainian ** Zelensky said on February 17,The decision to withdraw troops from the eastern front-line city of Avdeyevka was made in order to "save the lives of our soldiers."
He said at the Munich Security Conference: "In order to avoid being encircled, (the Ukrainian army) decided to withdraw to other fronts. This does not mean that the Ukrainian army retreated several kilometers, Russia seized something, they did not capture anything. ”
"The ability to save our people is our most important task," he added. ”
According to Reuters on February 17, Zelensky said on the 17th that Ukraine's difficulty in obtaining ** This weakness is making Russia's Putin stronger.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskyy said: "Unfortunately, it is unfortunate that Ukraine has been artificially put in a state of ** shortage – especially in artillery and long-range capabilities – that allows Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war." ”
Zelensky previously spoke:
Efforts are being made to free the trapped soldiers
According to the reference news network AFP on February 15, as the Russian army is advancing towards Avdeyevka, Ukraine** Zelensky said on February 15 that Kyiv is "doing everything possible" to rescue the soldiers stationed in this important town in eastern Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian military, the situation in Avdeyevka is "critical".
According to the report, Zelensky listened to a brief briefing by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Alexander Syrsky and Defense Minister Rustym Umerov on the same day. "We are doing everything we can to ensure that our fighters have enough managerial and technical capacity to save as many lives as possible for Ukrainians," he said in his evening speech. ”
The Ukrainian military said it was stepping up the deployment of additional troops to the town, which is surrounded by Russian troops on three sides.
The report also said that a Ukrainian assault force said on the "Telegram" social platform that the unit was urgently deployed to the Avdeyevka region, where the current fighting situation is "extremely critical" and "very unstable".
Since last year, the Russian army has come close to completely encircling the town through a series of fierce offensives.
The report mentioned that the coordinator of strategic communications of the White House *** committee told reporters in Washington: "Avdeyevka is at risk of being controlled by Russia. ”
*: China ** Daily.