The army had to leave the field. A bitter defeat was attributed to the superior Russian artillery and air force.
Suddenly everything happened so quickly. Originally said to be a partial withdrawal from a district in the south. But by Friday evening it was completely withdrawn. “Considering the operational situation around Avdiivka, I have decided to withdraw our units from the city and defend it at a more favorable level,” announced Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Chirsky. Its purpose was to avoid the encirclement of Ukrainian units and to protect the lives and health of soldiers.
The withdrawal order came as a surprise to many Ukrainians. The Ukrainian General Staff ordered an “orderly withdrawal” from Avdiivka. However, there was no question about it. Ukrainian soldiers reported chaotic conditions on social media. So they had to evacuate their positions headlong in the dark and literally flee in a hail of Russian shells. Many wounded were left behind. Some of them contacted their family and friends on messaging services like Instagram and WhatsApp.
Russia deploys all reserves
