The Ukrainian army withdrew its troops from the devastated town of Avdiivka in Donetsk to avoid encirclement and save the lives of its troops, the army’s commander-in-chief has said.
In a short statement posted on Facebook, Ukrainian commander Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said he had made the decision to avoid encirclement and “preserve the lives and health of servicemen.” He added that troops were moving to “more favourable lines.”
“Our soldiers performed their military duty with dignity, did everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units, inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment.
“We are taking measures to stabilize the situation and maintain our positions,” the statement read.
Russian forces had improved their positions on the front lines in four different areas, including in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Russia’s defence ministry has said, according to its Russian news agencies.
The claim, which has not been independently verified, comes after Ukrainian troops withdrew from the devastated town of Avdiivka. The retreat paves the way for Russia’s biggest advance since May 2023 when it captured the city of Bakhmut.
The withdrawal comes as Ukrainian fronline troops are under compounding pressures, with exhausted ranks facing a shortage of artillery shells – a problem worsened by the stalling of a large US funding package.
The Ukrainian army withdrew its troops from the devastated town of Avdiivka in Donetsk to avoid encirclement and save the lives of its troops, the army’s commander-in-chief has said.
In a short statement posted on Facebook, Ukrainian commander Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said he had made the decision to avoid encirclement and “preserve the lives and health of servicemen.” He added that troops were moving to “more favourable lines.”
“Our soldiers performed their military duty with dignity, did everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units, inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment.
“We are taking measures to stabilize the situation and maintain our positions,” the statement read.
Following reports of Alexei Navalny’s death on Friday, six Russians told the Guardian what they believe his death will mean for Russia’s future.
His death sent waves of anger and despair through the ranks of his supporters. Some saw his popularity as limited to a certain demographic, while for others, he was a symbolic figure who united the demographic.
“How long will the world let Russia be like this?” That was the question Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked world leaders on Saturday as he underlined the threat Russia’s war poses to nations beyond Ukraine.
Speaking at the the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskiy underlined that Ukraine can still win the war and that it was vital for the world that it does. He called for security to be made a “reality again”, warning that “there is no one for whom the ongoing war in Europe does not pose a threat”.
He warned that Ukraine’s shortage of weapons was strengthening Russia. “Unfortunately, keeping Ukraine in an artificial deficit of weapons, particularly in deficit of artillery and long-range capabilities, allows Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war,” he said.
He concluded his speech with a plea: “Please, do not ask Ukraine when the war will end. Ask yourself, why is Putin still able to continue it.”
Here’s a look at what it’s like for those marking Alexei Navalny’s death in Russia, in sharp contrast to the protests outwith the country.
Russian police have detained more than 100 people at memorials for Navalny, AFP reports, citing the figure to the OVD-Info rights group.
The number includes 64 in Saint Petersburg, OVD-Info said, while 11 were detained in the capital Moscow, and others in the cities of Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don and Tver.
Authorities in Moscow on Friday said they were aware of calls online “to take part in a mass rally in the centre of Moscow” and warned people against attending. There are strict anti-dissent laws in Russia, and authorities have been particularly hardline in policing shows of support for Navalny.
It comes after a video emerged showing an activist being detained in Moscow after she held up a protest sign near a site where people were laying flowers in memory of Navalny:
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, has taken the stage at the Munich Security Conference.
My colleague Lili Bayer is covering his speech, as part of the wider conference, over on our Europe blog. You can follow along here, and I’ll also be posting a brief summary of that when it’s done.
Protests against Alexei Navalny’s death took place in cities across Europe and beyond on Friday night, with some demonstrators branding Vladimir Putin a “killer” and demanding accountability.
Protesters, many of them Russians living abroad, gathered in Berlin, London, Vilnius, Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, New York City, Geneva and The Hague, among others.
Good morning and welcome to our coverage with the main news overnight being the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the devastated town of Avdiivka in Donetsk.
As the two-year mark of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches, Ukrainian troops are under pressure along the frontline, with depleted and exhausted ranks and a shortage of artillery shells that has been exacerbated by the stalling of a large US funding package. The loss of Avdiivka paves the way for Russia’s biggest advance since May 2023 when it captured the city of Bakhmut. You can read our full story here.
In other developments:
The US president, Joe Biden, led a wave of global outrage over Friday’s death in Russia of the opposition leader and pro-democracy activist Alexei Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critics, who was serving a lengthy prison term in an Arctic penal colony. Biden blamed Navalny’s death on Putin “and his thugs”. The European Union said Navalny was “slowly murdered” by the Putin regime and it would be held accountable.
At least 73 protesters were arrested at vigils and other celebrations of Navalny’s life in numerous Russian cities, human rights observers said. Mourners and protesters also gathered across several cities in Europe and the US.
Russia’s foreign ministry said the US should show restraint before accusing the country of causing Navalny’s death.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said Russians who voted for Putin at elections next month should realise they were voting for a murderer. “The events tell (us) that Putin is a murderer and this is not rhetoric,” Zelenskiy told a news conference in Paris,
Zelenskiy signed a security pact with France on Friday, hours after securing a similar deal with Germany hailed by its chancellor, Olaf Scholz, as a “historic step” to lock in support for Kyiv in its battle against Russia. Both agreements were part of Zelenskiy’s drive to shore up help for his forces in Avdiivka. The 10-year agreement with France included a French pledge for up to €3bn (£2.6bn/$3.2bn) in aid for 2024, officials said. On Saturday, Zelenskiy will address the Munich Security Conference, taking place against a backdrop of conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East and debate over the future of Nato.
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2024-02-17 08:34:00Z
CBMicWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS93b3JsZC9saXZlLzIwMjQvZmViLzE3L3J1c3NpYS11a3JhaW5lLXdhci1saXZlLXVrcmFpbmVzLWZvcmNlcy13aXRoZHJhdy1mcm9tLWF2ZGlpdmth0gFxaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAudGhlZ3VhcmRpYW4uY29tL3dvcmxkL2xpdmUvMjAyNC9mZWIvMTcvcnVzc2lhLXVrcmFpbmUtd2FyLWxpdmUtdWtyYWluZXMtZm9yY2VzLXdpdGhkcmF3LWZyb20tYXZkaWl2a2E
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