Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the village of Urozhaine in Donetsk Oblast, Lieutenant Colonel Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson of the Khortytsia group of forces, told Interfax Ukraine on July 18.
Earlier media reports suggested that Urozhaine, a village on the southern front line in an area of Donetsk Oblast that borders Zaporzhzhia Oblast, had been captured by Russian forces.
Ukrainian forces withdrew "due to the fact that the enemy destroyed almost everything in Urozhaine," Voloshyn said.
The decision was made "to preserve the lives and health of our personnel who were defending there," Voloshyn added.
"The settlement itself was also almost completely destroyed by enemy shelling. The positions of the Ukrainian defenders were destroyed and keeping personnel there was a threat to the lives of our soldiers."
According to Voloshyn, Russian forces suffer "considerable losses every day."
Urozhaine was liberated by Ukraine in August 2023, having been under Russian occupation since March 2022. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed on July 14 that it had recaptured the village.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
