Watch Ukrainian Armed Forces Retreat From Avdeyevka

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that Russian forces had taken full control of the town of Avdeyevka, a northern suburb of Donetsk.

The Russian Defense Ministry has published footage of the chaotic flight of Ukrainian units from Avdeyevka.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has released footage depicting the disorderly retreat of Ukrainian Armed Forces units from Avdeyevka. pic.twitter.com/6Ol9qlt1ek

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) February 18, 2024

The withdrawal from Avdeyevka was a turning point in the liberation of the Donetsk region, and the retreat of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was a clear sign of the failure of the Ukrainian authorities, the Senator of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Natalia Nikonorova told Sputnik.

"The return of Avdeyevka is a turning point in the further liberation of the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic. The abandonment of Avdeyevka is a clear sign of the incompetence of Ukraine's military and political leadership, whose shares are rapidly depreciating in the eyes of Kiev's former cronies," Nikonorova said.

According to the legislator, the liberation of Avdeyevka will undoubtedly have a significant impact both on the balance of forces and on the course of hostilities in the Donetsk region.

"The enemy lost a major defensive node, the construction of which has been carried out continuously since 2015, and was forced to hastily withdraw its troops to positions less suitable for defense," she noted.

"Under these conditions, our troops face a real prospect of an offensive in the western direction with access to the state border of Russia," Nikonorova stressed.

Although the enemy has precision weapons with a range of over 100 kilometers, "the possibility of their use will be significantly limited, since the increase in distance complicates the conditions for reconnaissance, correction, as well as the use of attack UAVs," she concluded.

On Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian forces had taken full control of the city of Avdeyevka in the DPR. Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the Russian military on the success and the important victory.