Ukraine Leaving Besieged Avdiivka Under Russian Pressure
- Commander looks to avoid encirclement of city, minimize losses
- Ukraine struggling with supplies amid uncertainty over US aid
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Ukraine’s military said it’s withdrawing troops from the besieged eastern city of Avdiivka after a months-long fight, a move that gives fast-advancing Russian troops a major battlefield victory.
“Based on the operational situation around Avdiivka, in order to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of servicemen, I decided to withdraw our units from the city,” Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a post on Facebook on Saturday. Troops will move over to defense “on more favorable lines,” he said.