Avdeevka….
From where the Ukrainian Army has shelled the rebel civilians of Donetsk City for TEN YEARS, has fallen to the Russians after ten years, with many reports of the Ukrainian forces in an absolute rout.
There are going to be lots of tactical, strategic, and political implications from this that we will see over the next days and weeks.
There are reportedly few Ukrainian defenses behind Avdeevka, the Ukrainians put all their eggs into one basket, counting on the deep Soviet-era nuclear bunker system, and defenses built since the end of the civil war to make it impregnable.
"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 and move to defense on more favorable lines.
We will still return Avdiivka.
GLORY TO UKRAINE!" t.co/Gq82dCJUDQ— Oleksan (@dr_oleksan) February 17, 2024
⚠️ Ukraine has announced its withdraw from Avdiivka ⚠️
Within hours, the bloodiest battle of the 21st century so far will be over. pic.twitter.com/OopxzPqWME
— jan Kemen (@resamoc) February 17, 2024
Ukrainian tanks fleeing Avdeevka. Kiev has given the order to abandon the town.
Will they make it to safety while burning?
What a disaster for Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/BCyNG1rvDI
— Make Peace Now; alternative news (@AlternatNews) February 17, 2024
Fighting has been reported inside the citadel. Russia has closed the pincers and most of the Ukrainians left in Avdiivka will be prisoners of war. t.co/hDZNK5LRuv
— Charles Mayne (@charlesmayne69) February 16, 2024
Remember how CNN and Bloomberg crowed endlessly that cutting Russia off from SWIFT was like using a Nuclear Weapon, and that there was no way Russia could survive that?
Good times…
Ukraine makes major troop withdrawal in key win for Putin.
Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the key battleground town of Avdiivka in the east of the country, which could pave the way for a Russian advance as the war nears its second anniversary.
The withdrawal, announced as Ukraine faces acute shortages of ammunition with U.S. military aid delayed for months in Congress, aimed to save troops from being fully surrounded by Russian forces after months of fierce fighting, Kyiv said.
Most of the city’s pre-war population of 32,000 people has already left, and the town has been almost completely destroyed.
www.foxnews.com/world/ukraine-makes-major-troop-withdrawal-key-win-putin-russia
h/t Flying Elvii