Ukraine troops withdrew from Avdiivka (Avdeyevka) after months of fierce battles

Kyiv troops withdrew from the eastern city of Avdiivka to avoid encirclement, Ukraine army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

The withdrawal follows months of fierce Russian attacks and marks the biggest change on the front lines since Moscow troops captured Bakhmut in May 2023.

 "Based on the operational situation around Avdeyevka as well as in order to prevent entrapment and [for the sake of] saving the lives and health of our troops, I made a decision to withdraw our units from the city and move them to more favorable defensive positions," Syrsky stated on his Facebook account