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Military: Ukraine withdraws from Stepove and Severne villages near Avdiivka

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Military: Ukraine withdraws from Stepove and Severne villages near Avdiivka
Soldiers on the Armored Infantry Vehicle 2 (BMP-2) on the road to the city, the outskirts of Avdiivka on Feb. 14, 2024, in Avdiivka district, Donetsk Oblast. (Vlada Liberova/Libkos/Getty Images)

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have withdrawn from Stepove and Severne villages near Avdiivka, Dmytro Lykhovii, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Tavria Group, said on national television on Feb. 27.

The two villages are located north of Lastochkyne, which was occupied by Russian troops on Feb. 26. Before the start of the full-scale invasion, around 100 people lived in Stepove and Severne.

Lykhovii said battles for Stepove and Severne had took place on Feb. 27.

According to Lykhovii, Russia has increased the number of assault units. The spokesperson said that some of them can reach the number of a company, which is up to 250 soldiers.

Ukraine withdrew from the small industrial city of Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast on Feb. 17 amid ammunition shortages after months of repelling Russia’s renewed offensive.

After the occupation of Avdiivka, Russia intensified its offensive efforts in various parts of Ukraine’s front line, likely in order to stretch Ukrainian forces, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported in its Feb. 21 intelligence update.

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Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

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