Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine

Ukrainian Forces in Disarray as They Retreat From Avdeyevka, DPR Official Says

Earlier, Kiev's decision to pull out troops from Avdeyevka was revealed by Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky.
Sputnik
Ukrainian troops are chaotically leaving their positions in Avdeyevka, abandoning the wounded - it is a flight, adviser to the head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Yan Gagin told Sputnik.

"Yes, in fact, Avdeyevka is being abandoned by units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, we notice that they are coming out, coming out scattered. So it's not as Syrsky wrote that they are leaving, nothing like that. What is happening now is an escape," Gagin said.

On Friday night, Syrsky announced the decision to withdraw Ukrainian units from Avdeyevka and the transition to defense. The Ukrainian Armed Forces said earlier that the situation for Ukrainian troops in the Avdeyevka area is critical, worse than in Artemovsk (Bakhmut), which Kiev lost in May 2023.

"Everyone is saving their own life. There are a lot of abandoned wounded [soldiers], they [Ukrainians] leave the wounded behind, our fighters give them medical care. There are units, individual fighters, equipment, yes, they are actually escaping. There are a lot of forgotten units, small and large, that are resisting, that are surrendering," he said.

Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine
Partial Withdrawal From 'Operationally Significant' City of Avdeyevka Confirmed by Ukrainian General
Gagin stressed that it is premature to talk about Avdeyevka coming under Russian control, as it is necessary to wait for an official report from the Russian Defense Ministry.

"The enemy is fleeing because they are afraid of staying in the cauldron to die. There is local resistance, there is resistance of small units and small scattered groups, which most of the time have no communication with each other," Gagin added.

Avdeyevka is a northern suburb of the city of Donetsk and served as a powerful fortified area for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.