The fall of the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka to Russian forces in a 'hellish' meat-grinder battle has been marked by significant losses for both sides, with military experts highlighting the strategic implications and the need for Kyiv to obtain long-range weapons. Reports indicate that between 850 to 1,000 Ukrainian troops have been captured or are unaccounted for following a chaotic retreat from the eastern city in Donetsk Oblast. Western and Ukrainian sources have confirmed these numbers, and senior Western officials, along with soldiers fighting for Ukraine, have noted the disorderly nature of the withdrawal. Despite claims from Ukraine's Armed Forces and a Ukrainian official denying the extent of the losses, the situation underscores the challenges faced by Kyiv in maintaining morale and recruitment. The New York Times and The Washington Post have reported on the poorly planned withdrawal operation and the subsequent capture of Ukrainian POWs by Russian forces.
The fall of Avdiivka to #Russia looks to have been a worse disaster than it seemed for #Ukraine. During a sudden, chaotic collapse, 850 to 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers were reportedly captured or went missing. Kyiv says the numbers lost were much smaller. https://t.co/YZZksFSPO8
A Ukrainian official denied a recent @nytimes report that Russian forces may have captured “hundreds” of Ukrainian soldiers during Ukraine’s withdrawal from Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast. (1/3) https://t.co/WkIGov9nVk https://t.co/6S2CAhnvtO
The Washington Post: The Armed Forces of Ukraine began to leave Avdiivka even before the order of Commander-in-Chief Syrsky, without approval According to military personnel who took part in the latest battles in Avdiivka, the withdrawal operation was “poorly planned and… https://t.co/2E3FvB6xfa
Ukraine failed to safely evacuate all its troops from the eastern city of Avdiivka during its disorderly retreat, despite claims from its new top military commander that the move was designed to save lives and avoid encirclement by the advancing Russians. https://t.co/04c36Y9TzG
NYT reports hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners during withdrawal from Avdiivka, Ukraine's Armed Forces deny it https://t.co/sGsJtn8iUZ
The 'chaotic' nature of the retreat by Kiev’s forces led to Russia capturing up to 1,000 Ukrainian POWs in Avdeevka – NYT https://t.co/gdrvC3YWno https://t.co/71U8MZp6lF
I warned about this: "The fall of Avdiivka to Russia may be more significant than it initially seemed as Ukraine struggles with morale and recruitment... But two soldiers with knowledge of Ukraine’s retreat estimated that 850 to 1,000 soldiers appear to have been captured or are… https://t.co/GGsapI0BSA
Hundreds of Ukrainian troops may have been captured by advancing Russian units or disappeared during Ukraine’s chaotic retreat from the eastern city of Avdiivka, according to senior Western officials and soldiers fighting for Ukraine https://t.co/1q08bvPki9
Western and Ukrainian sources said between 850 and 1,000 troops appear to have been taken prisoner or are unaccounted for following the retreat from the eastern city of Avdiivka.
The fall of Ukrainian town Avdiivka in 'hellish' meat-grinder battle was a loss for everyone including Putin who lost tens of thousands of troops - now Kyiv needs the long-range weapons to respond, say military experts https://t.co/i0Cv2jKKFL https://t.co/6rcpaq8ccE