Putin hails capture of Ukraine town as ‘important victory’

Facing ammunition shortages and outnumbered on the battlefield, Ukrainian forces announced they had withdrawn, as Putin congratulated his military on an ‘important victory’.

Ukrainian servicemen pile up earthbags to build a fortification not far from town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region. Picture: AFP

Russia says it has taken “full control” of the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, hours after Kyiv said it had pulled out of the former stronghold to save soldiers’ lives.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had informed President Vladimir Putin of the advance, said a defence ministry statement.

Putin “congratulated our military and fighters on such an important victory”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state media.

Facing ammunition shortages and outnumbered on the battlefield, Ukrainian forces announced they had withdrawn in the early hours of Saturday.

It followed months of pressure after Russian forces stepped up efforts to capture the eastern industrial hub in October, devastating the city and causing mass casualties.

The capture of Avdiivka represents Russia’s biggest victory in the war since May.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a security conference in Munich: “The ability to save our people is the most important task for us.

“In order to avoid being surrounded, it was decided to withdraw to other lines.” “This does not mean that people retreated some kilometres and Russia captured something,” he added. “It did not capture anything.”

Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Picture: AFP

‘Congressional inaction’

Earlier, Ukraine’s newly appointed commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said he had “decided to withdraw our units from the city and switch to defence on more favourable lines”.

A number of Ukrainian servicemen were captured in the operation, several military officials said.

It was Syrsky’s first major decision since his appointment, at a time when Ukraine faces mounting pressures in the east because of ammunition shortages, with a $US60-billion US military aid package held up in Washington.

US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson put some of the blame for Kyiv’s latest setback on Congress.

Zelensky nevertheless remained optimistic after speaking with US President Joe Biden by telephone from Munich.

“I am grateful to have President Biden’s full support,” he said. “I also believe that the US Congress will make a wise decision.”

‘Nowhere to go’

On the eastern front line, one Ukrainian serviceman said withdrawing was “the right decision given the lack of weapons and artillery shells, because if we don’t save the lives of the soldiers, we will soon have no one left to fight”.

Avdiivka lies in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, which the Kremlin has claimed to be part of Russia since a 2022 annexation that remains unrecognised by nearly all United Nations members.

In July 2014, it briefly fell into the hands of pro-Russian separatists before returning to Ukrainian control.

But the Ukrainian army faced renewed Russian assaults including in the eastern Donetsk region.

“I’m used to the sound of shelling,” said Viktor, in the village of Progres, some 30 kilometres west of Avdiivka. “It’s been ongoing since 2014 already, but now much more tense -- and louder.” The pensioner was cycling to the last open shop to buy bottles of fresh water before it closed for good, having been hit by shelling early that morning.

Speaking over rounds of incoming and outgoing artillery fire, Viktor said his neighbour had moved away.

“But I’ve got nowhere to go,” he said.