Ukraine withdraws troops from key town
Ukraine has announced the withdrawal of its troops from an eastern town which has for months has been besieged by Russian forces.
The new head of Ukraine’s armed forces, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said he had ordered the troops out “to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of service personnel.”
The withdrawal of Ukrainian troops marks Moscow’s biggest victory since Ukraine’s failed counter-offensive last year, and the biggest change on the frontline since May 2023.
Almost all of the 30,000 people who lived in Avdiika before the Russian invasion have left, and the city is almost completely destroyed.
Here, i looks at what the blow means for the wider war and whether the tide is turning in Russia’s favour.
How did Ukraine lose Avdiika?
The town of Adviika in the Donetsk region has been a theatre for conflict since 2014 when it was briefly occupied by Russia before being retaken by Ukraine.
Fighting in the area has intensified over the last few months.
In a statement following the withdrawal, one of General Syrskyi’s deputies said: “In a situation where the enemy is advancing on the corpses of their own soldiers, with a ten-to-one shell advantage, under constant bombardment, this is the only correct solution.”
Ukrainian forces have been warning of running out of artillety ammunition and being outnumbered by Russian soldiers.
Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade, which had been deployed to the town, said it was being attacked by Russian soldiers from every direction.
Speaking at this weekend’s Munich security conference, Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukraine’s allies to send more supplies to defeat Russia.
Why is Ukraine calling for more support?
The US Congress is yet to pass a $95bn wartime aid package, which includes money for Ukraine as well as other US allies like Israel.
While the package was passed by the Democrat controlled Senate, it is being held up by Congress, which has a Republican majority.
Former President Donald Trump, who is the frontrunner to stand as the Republican presidential candidate later this year, made comments about NATO at a rally last week that were described as “appalling and unhinged” by the White House.
Mr Trump suggested he would “encourage” aggressors like Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” with NATO countries which sparked concerns over the long-term support for Ukraine.
Speaking at the Munich security conference falling the loss of Adviika, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron called on the US to do more to support Ukraine.
Lord Cameron told Sky News: “I know that Britian is doing what it can, the European Union has voted through its package to give massive support to Ukraine – we now need the US congress to do the same. If all those three things line up, I think that will make a real difference.”
He added: “Look at Ukraine’s allies – if you add up our economies we outmatch Russia 25 to one…we’ve just got to make that difference count.”
What does this mean for the rest of the war?
The withdrawal from Avdiika is the biggest decision the new head of the armed forces has made since he was appointed earlier this month.
The former commander-in-chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, had led Ukraine’s war effort since the conflict began.
General Zaluzhnyi had higher approval ratings than those of Mr Zelensky, amid speculation of a growing rift between the two.
Russia is believed to be dropping up to 60 bombs per day on Avdiika and had concentrated its best-trained fighters across the area.
Ukraine is reporting a shortage of artillery across the frontlines as well as pointing out the stark difference in its infantry sizes to Russia, which has a population four times larger.
At sea, Ukraine managed to sink another enemy warship earlier this week, saying it had disabled a third of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
How much it is able to defend on land will depend heavily on the fate of the US aid package.
