Ukrainian President explains move to withdraw troops from Avdeevka
(Baonghean.vn) - President Vladimir Zelensky announced that the Ukrainian army is retreating to avoid being surrounded and destroyed.
According to RT, Mr. Zelensky said that the decision of the Ukrainian army to withdraw from the Donbass stronghold of Avdeevka under constant pressure from Russia was “completely reasonable.” He explained that by doing so, Kiev would avoid heavy casualties.
The announcement of the troop withdrawal was made by General Aleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine's newly appointed Commander-in-Chief, on February 16. Mr. Syrsky said the decision was aimed at "stabilizing the situation" and helping Kiev maintain its position.
His comments came shortly after reports from the frontline that Ukrainian troops in Avdeevka were in dire straits. A senior commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade, which was recently redeployed to the area, described the situation as “critical” on February 16, adding that part of the unit had been surrounded. Some media reports also suggested that Russian troops had attempted to cut off the main supply route to the besieged town.
Also according to RT, when speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 17, Mr. Zelensky tried to downplay the latest developments, explaining that “in order to avoid being surrounded, it was decided to retreat to other positions.” The Ukrainian president said that this was done to “keep the maximum number of Ukrainian citizens safe,” while emphasizing that it was the right decision.
He also noted that “it does not mean that people have retreated for kilometers and that Russia has captured anything.” President Zelensky asserted that Moscow has succeeded “only in destroying a number of small settlements and towns.”
In the current situation, the Ukrainian leader still insists that Kiev will win, saying that the country is only limited by a lack of weapons. “It does not depend only on us. And the situation in Avdeevka confirms this,” he said.
Avdeevka has been a frontline town since 2014, when conflict first broke out in Donbass following a Western-backed coup in Kiev. The area has often been used by the Ukrainian army to attack residential areas in Donetsk, just 20km away.