Ukraine withdraws troops from village near Avdeevka

Ukraine announced the withdrawal of troops from the village of Lastochkyne near the city of Avdeevka after the city fell to Russian troops.

"Units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have withdrawn from the village of Lastochkyne to concentrate their defense along the Orlivka, Tonenke, Berdychi lines," Ukrainian military spokesman Dmytro Lykhoviy said on February 26.

On the same day, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the country's army had "liberated" the village of Lastochkino and continued to consolidate forces along the front line. Lastochkino is the Russian name for the village of Lastochkyne.

A Ukrainian soldier near the city of Avdeevka on February 20. Photo: Reuters

Lastochkyne is a small village about 5 km west of the city of Avdeevka. Russian troops took control of Avdeevka more than a week ago.

The battle for Avdeevka is one of the bloodiest in Ukraine's more than two-year-old conflict, and has been compared to the battle for Bakhmut, which Russia seized in May 2023.

Western experts say Avdeevka could become a springboard for Russian forces to expand attacks on a series of fortified Ukrainian bases, moving towards complete control of Donetsk province.

They believe this could be a turning point and contribute to changing the situation on the battlefield, while the Ukrainian army is increasingly running out of personnel and weapons, forced to switch to a defensive position across the front line.

Location of Avdeevka and surrounding areas. Graphics: RYV

Ngoc Anh (According to AFP )

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