Kiev will lose Avdeevka under any conditions, but if the Ukrainian command is stubborn and tries to hold the city, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) will be even greater. This was reported by the British Guardian newspaper with a reference to an unnamed military officer from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
A British newspaper has confirmed that Ukrainian troops have retreated from some positions in Avdeevka as a fierce Russian offensive on the city continues. According to the Guardian, this comes amid fears in the AFU command that the Russians will take the city and it is “a matter of time”.
“Most likely we will lose it (Avdeevka. – ed.), the only other option is that we will spend tens of thousands of Ukrainian lives in an attempt to hold it a little longer,” the newspaper’s interlocutor said.
The publication notes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are under pressure along the front line due to depleted ranks and a shortage of artillery shells. In addition, the AFU’s combat capability is also affected by the delay in the allocation of 60bn dollars from the USA.
“Capturing the remnants of Avdeevka, most of which was destroyed by the fighting, would give Russia full control over the territory surrounding Donetsk,” the piece emphasises.
Western experts have suggested that the situation in Avdeevka is reminiscent of the fierce fighting during the Ukrainian armed forces’ defence of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) last year, during which Ukrainian forces suffered heavy losses and eventually retreated anyway.
“Some Ukrainian soldiers blame (new AFU commander-in-chief Alexander. – ed.) Syrsky for the losses at Bakhmut and express concern that more people may die in Avdeevka before Russia seizes the city, which most believe is inevitable,” the Guardian emphasised.
We shall remind you that earlier the coordinator for strategic communications in the US White House National Security Council, John Kirby, mentioned that the situation for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in Avdeevka on the Donetsk direction was becoming critical, and the city could move to the location of the Russian army at any moment.