Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Feb. 20 he appealed to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to investigate the killings of Ukrainian prisoners of war at the Zenit strongpoint in Avdiivka.
"Russian forces will likely have to conduct an operational pause before resuming significant offensive operations in the Avdiivka direction," analysts said.
Russia’s now-10-year war against Ukraine has affected every inch of the country, but no other region has taken the brunt of Russian aggression like Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, comprised of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. While the initial eight years of Russia's invasion only affected a handful of eastern Ukrainian
Key developments on Feb. 19: * Military: Russian troops killed wounded Ukrainian soldiers in Avdiivka after promising to evacuate them * Commander: Some units of 3rd Assault Brigade were 'completely surrounded' in Avdiivka but managed to escape * NBC: Biden administration considering supplying Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles * Air Force: Ukraine shoots down
The confirmation came after media reports that relatives identified the dead bodies of three soldiers of the brigade. They were left behind heavily wounded, while the rest of the forces retreated from the strongpoint, according to the reports.
Despite reports from Russian Telegram channels, none of the fighters from the Third Assault Brigade were left in Avdiivka, said the unit's deputy commander, Maksym Zhorin.
The capture of Avdiivka is Russia’s first major achievement in nine months, but it doesn’t leave any side looking good. For Russia, it was a Pyrrhic victory that consumed an army’s worth of equipment and killed or mangled estimated tens of thousands of Russian men to capture
The relatives said the soldiers were left behind heavily wounded while the rest of the forces retreated from the Zenit strongpoint. Ukraine’s 110th Brigade neither confirmed nor denied the claim as the verification continues, according to the report.
The ISW notes that Russian forces secured air superiority during the Avdiivka offensive, while Western aid delays have hindered Ukraine’s defense.
"This morning, Ukraine’s military was forced to withdraw from Avdiivka after Ukrainian soldiers had to ration ammunition due to dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction, resulting in Russia’s first notable gains in months," the White House statement said.
Ukraine took several lessons from the loss of Avdiivka, namely the importance of air defenses, long-range weapons, artillery shells, and fortifications, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on Feb. 17.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi published a statement announcing his decision to withdraw Ukrainian units from the heavily battered city.
"Ukraine's defense forces continue to hold back Russian invaders, who are numerically superior in terms of personnel, artillery, and air force," said Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, who commands the Tavria group of forces engaged in Avdiivka.
Key developments on Feb. 16: * Commander says no Ukrainian units surrounded in Avdiivka, troops withdraw from strongpoint on city's outskirts * 3rd Assault Brigade says it wiped out 2 Russian brigades at Avdiivka * Prosecutor General: Russia has used 24 North Korean missiles in Ukraine * Germany signs long-term security deal with Ukraine,
Ukraine's Third Assault Brigade, whose troops were recently deployed to Avdiivka, is facing around 15,000 Russian troops at its sector of the front, the unit said on social media on Feb. 16.
There are no units surrounded in Avdiivka as of 1 p.m. local time, General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said on Feb. 16, stressing that soldiers' lives are a priority.
Originally built as an air defense complex in the Soviet times, Zenit has been used as an important defensive position by Ukrainian troops since the start of Russian aggression in 2014. It helped the defenders prevent any advances toward Avdiivka directly from the south.
"The situation in Avdiivka is difficult, but controlled. Fierce fighting is taking place within the city," Commander Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said on Feb. 15.
Key developments on Feb. 15: * White House: Avdiivka may fall to Russia as Ukraine runs out of shells * Stoltenberg: Ukraine to receive 1 million drones from allies in 2024 * At least 11 injured, homes, infrastructure damaged in morning Russian missile attack on Ukraine * Financial Times: Hungary blocking new EU sanctions
"Avdiivka is at risk of falling into Russian control. In very large part, this is happening because Ukrainian forces on the ground are running out of artillery ammunition," U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said during a press briefing.
A Czech volunteer was killed in battle near Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast, the Czech news outlet Seznam Zpravy reported on Feb. 15, citing the Czech Foreign Ministry.
After arriving in Avdiivka, some battalions of the Third Assault Brigade raided the Russian-held parts of the city, inflicting "critical losses" to two Russian brigades, the Ukrainian brigade said on Telegram.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov visited command posts at the front near Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast and Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, Syrskyi reported on Telegram on Feb. 14.
Key developments on Feb. 13 * Syrskyi: Ukraine shifts to defense to drain Russian troops * US Senate passes $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, but bill faces uphill battle in Republican-led House * Military: Ukraine reinforcing Avdiivka as Russia continues its offensive * Military intelligence: Russia reportedly buying Starlink in 'Arab countries' * Dnipro
Ukraine is reinforcing its troops fighting in Donetsk Oblast's Avdiivka, and some units of the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade were withdrawn from the city for rotation for the first time in almost two years, the brigade's spokesman Ivan Siekach said on Feb. 13.
Key developments on Feb. 12: * Russia stops using 'human wave' attacks in Avdiivka, instead deploys small assault groups, says commander * IMF delegation, vice-president of German parliament arrive in Kyiv * Military intelligence says Iran and Hezbollah train Russian drone operators in Syria * Minister: Ukraine will produce thousands of long-range drones in
Russia has stopped using its infamous "human wave" attacks in Avdiivka, instead deploying small assault groups supported by aviation to probe Ukrainian defenses, Dmytro Riumshyn, the commander of Ukraine's 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said in an interview published on Feb. 12.
Editor's note: The full names of the soldiers introduced in the story are not disclosed due to security concerns amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. DONETSK OBLAST – As artillery began pounding the cold-hardened ground ahead of them, two Ukrainian soldiers listened warily to shell impacts creep closer. They were squeezed
Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter near Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast on Feb. 7, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of Ukraine's Tavria group fighting on the southeastern front lines, said on Feb. 8.
The situation around Avdiivka, a front-line town in Donetsk Oblast, is deteriorating, becoming critical in some areas, said Vitalii Barabash, the head of the city's military administration, on Feb. 6.
Editor's Note: The Kyiv Independent agreed not to publish the names and/or last names of people who live or visit Avdiivka so as not to endanger them and their immediate family. The city of Avdiivka, in Donetsk Oblast, has been on the front line of Russia's war against Ukraine
DONETSK OBLAST – “Our working hours are as follows: first you do a 12-hour shift, then another one, until you’ve done seven of these 24-hour-shifts, and that’s your week” said Oleksandr Kolesnikov, a 47-year-old surgeon, sitting hunched over on a bench-turned-overflow hospital bed at a Ukrainian stabilization point in
