JRL NEWSWATCH: “Avdiivka, Longtime Stronghold for Ukraine, Falls to Russians” – New York Times
“With Ukraine’s forces at risk of encirclement, the top military commander ordered a retreat. In startlingly candid accounts, soldiers described disarray and despair.”
“Ukraine ordered the complete withdrawal from … decimated … Avdiivka before dawn … Saturday, surrendering a position that had been a military stronghold for the better part of a decade, in the face of withering Russian assault. ‘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 … and move to defense on more favorable lines,’ Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s top military commander, said …. The fall of Avdiivka, … once home to some 30,000 people … now a smoking ruin, is the first major gain [for] Russian forces … since May of last year…. As the battle … intensified, Ukrainian commanders … in the area [reportedly] were forced to ration ammunition ….”