Russia takes 25 Ukrainian soldiers captive during Ukraine's withdrawal from Avdiivka – Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi

The Armed Forces and the entire Ukraine are making efforts to release Ukrainian soldiers who were covering the retreat of troops from Avdiivka from Russian captivity.

Source: Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in an interview with Ukrinform news agency 

Quote: "Unfortunately, during these battles, 25 Ukrainian soldiers were taken prisoner by Russia. This is war... Russian propagandists are trying to use various videos of captured Ukrainian soldiers to discredit Ukraine's Defence Forces, to put psychological pressure and spread panic among Ukrainians.

I would like to say to these soldiers, if they can hear me, and to their families: we have not forgotten anyone and are doing everything we can to free these servicemen from enemy captivity. The leadership of our state, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and the command of the Armed Forces are fully involved in these efforts."

Details: Syrskyi explained that the Defence Forces withdrew their troops from Avdiivka because the Russians had a significant advantage in assets and personnel of assault units.

Because of the constant bombardment with glide bombs, the integrity of the Ukrainian defence was compromised, allowing the Russians to gradually advance.

The lack of ammunition for Ukrainian artillery also played a negative role. This made it impossible to conduct an effective counter-battery fight in such conditions. Therefore, to avoid encirclement and save lives, Syrskyi decided to withdraw from Avdiivka.

However, he said that the attack on Avdiivka resulted in significant losses for the Russians. Between 10 October 2023 and 17 February 2024, the Russians lost 47,186 personnel, 364 tanks, 748 armoured combat vehicles, 248 artillery systems and 5 aircraft on the Avdiivka front alone.

Since the beginning of the Avdiivka defensive operation, Ukrainian Defence Forces have captured 95 Russian soldiers there.

Background:

• In February 2024, the New York Times published an article claiming that "hundreds of Ukrainian troops may have been captured or disappeared" during the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Avdiivka.
• Commenting on this false information, the Tavriia Operational Strategic Group said that the NYT had groundlessly spread the Russian narrative.

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