Ukraine withdraws from Avdiivka, Putin hails 'important victory'

 

1, Ukraine compelled to retreat from Avdiivka's eastern bastion

2. Russia claims that there is a severe lack of artillery rounds for Ukrainian forces stationed near the           Avdiivka coke plant in Kiev.

3.The White House accuses Congress of being inactive.

4. Biden phones Zelenskiy to reaffirm US support 

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, referred to the takeover of Avdiivka as "an important victory" after the military leader of Ukraine said on Saturday that his men had left the badly damaged town in the east of the nation following months of fierce fighting.
The Russian defense ministry claimed that Ukrainian forces remained firmly established at the town's coke plant, but the push on Avdiivka represented Moscow's largest since it captured Bakhmut in May.
Days before the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, fresh U.S. military aid had been delayed for months by Congress, and the country was suffering from severe ammunition shortages.

Additionally, it is the most obvious indication yet that Moscow is now winning the fight after a counteroffensive by the Ukrainians last year failed to breach Russian defenses.

The Kremlin sent a statement on its website stating, "The head of state congratulated Russian soldiers on this success, an important victory."
Following months of Republican legislative resistance to a new U.S. military aid package for Kyiv, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a warning this week that Avdiivka could fall to Russian forces due to ammunition shortages.

According to a statement released by the White House on Saturday, Biden spoke with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, over the phone to reaffirm America's commitment to helping the country and to stress the urgency with which Congress must approve the package necessary to resupply Ukrainian forces.

The pullout was compelled, according to the White House, "by dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction," which led to the forces in Ukraine having to ration ammunition and "Russia's first notable gains in months."

Russia's morale is expected to be boosted by the capture of the city ahead of Putin's practically guaranteed reelection run next month.
Additionally, it is viewed as a further move to strengthen Moscow's control over the Donetsk regional center, which is around 20 kilometers (12 miles) to the east and has been occupied by Russian and pro-Russian soldiers since 2014.
Russia has not disclosed the precise amount of casualties it has suffered in the fierce combat, but Ukrainian authorities and military experts from the West claim that Russia's advances have cost an incredible amount of lives and armored vehicles.

Putin's message, which said, "Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in fulfilling the tasks of the special military operation!" paid respect to the servicemen who had lost their lives in the campaign.
Additionally, it appears that Russia still does not fully control the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical facility, which is located on the town's northwest side. Once the biggest producer of coke in Ukraine prior to the conflict, this now-ruined city served as the final bastion for the Avdiivka.
In a video posted on the ministry's Telegram channel, Russian Defence Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov stated, "Measures are being taken to completely clear the city of militants and to block Ukrainian units that have left the city and are entrenched at the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant."

ZELENSKIY IMPLORES WEST FOR SUPPLIES

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskiy urged his Western partners to increase military aid supplies and implied that a shortage of weapons contributed to the withdrawal of Russian soldiers from Avdiivka. He also commended his troops for "exhausting" Russian forces there.
"Now, (the military) will replenish, they will wait for the relevant weapons, of which there simply weren't enough, simply aren't enough," he stated. "Russia has long-range weapons, while we simply don't have enough."
Zelenskiy wrote on X that he hoped the US Congress would make a "wise decision."

Regarding his conversation with Biden, he remarked, "We discussed the current frontline situation." "I am grateful to have President Biden's full support."
According to Zelenskiy, he held a meeting with a group of Republican and Democratic members of the US House of Representatives in Munich.

"We hope that the House of Representatives will make decisions to ensure further necessary U.S. support for Ukraine," he stated. "We must win this war."
Avdiivka demonstrated the necessity for contemporary air defense systems to fend off guided bombs and long-range missiles intended to destroy enemy formations, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Artillery shells, he continued, were also required.
The town had a pre-war population of 32,000. Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who assumed command of the Ukrainian military in a significant shake-up last week, stated that Ukrainian forces had retreated to more secure positions outside the town "to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of servicemen."

The 3rd Assault Brigade of Ukraine, which authorities claim was sent to Avdiivka this week, claimed on Telegram to have leveled out the front line and retreated to positions it had previously established on the city's outskirts.

"The Russians are not abating their attack at this time. We continue to maintain the line around Avdiivka," it stated.
Since October, Avdiivka has been under to increasing Russian offensive pressure in the east, while the exhaustion of Ukrainian troops engaged in combat since early 2022 has been exacerbated by sporadic military assistance from the West.
For weeks, Ukraine's circumstances appeared precarious.
This week, while other Ukrainian forces withdrew from the town's southeast, the Third Assault Brigade—a well-known infantry assault unit—was dispatched to assist in re-establishing soldiers in the area.