AFU Commander-in-Chief confirms 25 Ukrainian soldiers captured during Avdiivka retreat

25 Ukrainian soldiers fell into Russian captivity during the battles for Avdiivka and the withdrawal from the town, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU), Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in an interview with Ukrinform on March 29.

The AFU made the difficult decision to pull back from the city to evade potential encirclement, influenced by factors such as the overwhelming Russian military presence, continuous heavy bombings, and an ammunition shortfall.

"This is war," Syrskyi said, expressing the stark reality of the situation. "Russian propagandists seek to exploit various videos featuring captured Ukrainian soldiers to discredit the Ukrainian Armed Forces, exert psychological pressure, and spread panic among Ukrainians."

Read also: Russia executes 32 Ukrainian POWs over winter — UN report

Russia lost more than 47,000 soldiers, 364 tanks, 748 combat armored vehicles, 248 artillery systems, and five aircraft since the beginning of the offensive on Avdiivka in October 2023 until Feb. 17, 2024, said Syrskyi. The AFU captured 95 Russian soldiers in this sector during the same period.

Ukrainian units withdrew from Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, after four months of intense fighting on Feb. 17, 2024.

Read also:

• Positional war ongoing, too early to talk about slowing Russian offensive, says Ukrainian commander

• Russians seize Tonenke in Donbas, retain tactical initiative along entire front — Butusov

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine