Putin congratulates the military as Russia takes 'full control' of Ukraine's Evydiyka

Hours after Kiev announced it had pulled its troops out of Russia's Avdiivka on Saturday (February 17th), it said it had taken "full control" of the eastern Ukrainian city. Kaif said that he took this decision to save the lives of his soldiers.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said President Vladimir Putin had congratulated the military on "such an important victory".

The capture of Avdiivka, in Ukraine's Donetsk region, represents Russia's biggest victory in the war since May last year and signals that the conflict could escalate.

The former head of Ukraine's armed forces, General Valery Zlozny, warned in December last year that Ivodiuka would be taken over by "enemies" because of their stubbornness.

"The enemy has the ability to concentrate their forces, including artillery and aviation, in one direction or another. And they can do this so that in two or three months the town [Avdiivka] will suffer the same fate as Bakhmut," Zlozny said. said On time.

Ukraine's new military chief and Zlozny's successor Oleksandr Serskyi Zlozny explained the decision to withdraw his troops.

"I decided to withdraw my units from the city and move to the defense on more favorable lines," Sarsky said on Facebook.

"Our soldiers performed their military duty with dignity, made every effort to destroy the best Russian military units and inflicted considerable damage on the enemy," he added.

The Kremlin has claimed Avdiivka as part of Russia since its 2022 annexation, which is not recognized by nearly all UN members. In July 2014, the region was briefly occupied by pro-Russian separatists before returning to Ukrainian control.

Before the war, the city had around 30,000 inhabitants but since then, most of the houses have been destroyed and according to local authorities, fewer than 1,000 residents remain.

Ukraine is fighting a war.

Despite launching a much-publicized counteroffensive last year, Ukrainian troops under President Volodymyr Zelenskyi have not taken any action.

With weapons stockpiles and funding now drying up, Zielinski is anxiously looking to the US Congress to approve another tranche of aid money.

US lawmakers are working on a $95 billion security aid package for Ukraine and other allies, but a standoff between Republicans and Democrats has blocked the aid bill from passing.