2024-02-28 21:49:48
The Ukrainian army said it had withdrawn from two more villages near the eastern town of Avdeevka, which was captured by Russian forces earlier this month, Reuters reported.
A senior Ukrainian commander said Ukrainian troops had fortified new defensive positions west of Avdeyevka, the capture of which was Russia’s biggest battlefield victory in nine months.
Ukrainian military spokesman Dmytro Likhovy said Ukrainian forces had withdrawn from the villages of Severne and Stepove after Kiev troops left the village of Lastochkine a day earlier.
“Our forces have withdrawn from the small villages of Severne and Steppove. Heavy fighting for Severne continued yesterday evening and into the night,” Likhovi said on Tuesday, adding that Russia had suffered significant losses in the fighting. According to him, the army is withdrawing to positions that are at the level of the rest of the eastern front line and are more suitable for defense.
Before the invasion, a total of less than 100 people lived in Severne and Steppe, Reuters notes.
The Russian Ministry of Defense, quoted by BTA, said it captured Severne two years and three days after the start of the “special military operation”.
Reuters notes that it could not independently confirm the statements of both sides regarding the situation on the front.