One of 1 Ukrainian soldiers rests in a shelter near the front line near Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Friday, February 17, 2023. — Photo: AP/Libkos Ukrainian soldiers rest in a shelter near the front line near Avdiivka , Donetsk region, Ukraine, Friday, February 17, 2023. Photo: AP/Libkos
The Ukrainian army withdrew from the city of Avdiivka in the east of the country to avoid the deaths of its soldiers.
Avdiivka was briefly captured by proRussian separatists in July 2014 but came back under the control of Kiev, which retained it during this time despite its proximity to Donetsk, a separatist stronghold in eastern Ukraine.
Since October, Ukrainian soldiers have been resisting Russian attacks against this location in the Donbass mining basin, where the situation has become particularly critical in recent days.
“In the situation where the enemy advances with the corpses of his own soldiers and with ten times as many grenades [peças de artilharia] […] “This is the only viable solution,” said General Tarnavski when announcing the withdrawal.
He also acknowledged that “several” Ukrainian soldiers had been “captured” by Russian forces.
Zelensky's European journey
The storming of the city takes place while Zelensky is traveling through Europe.
The president lamented this Saturday the lack of ammunition and weapons for his army, which gives the Russian troops an advantage.
American Vice President Kamala Harris said in Munich that support for Ukraine should not depend on “political games” in the USA.
The United States is the country that has helped Ukraine the most with financial packages, but around $60 billion is currently being withheld for Kiev because the U.S. Congress is divided over how the money should be used.
In this context, Zelensky signed two bilateral security agreements on Friday, one in Berlin with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the other in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The first day of discussions at the World Economic Forum is dominated by Zelenskyy's speech