- Russian forces captured the town of Avdiivka, marking their largest territorial achieve in months.
- Ukrainian troopers within the metropolis have been beneath fixed bombardment with far much less manpower.
- A number of troopers instructed WaPo how they narrowly escaped loss of life as they withdrew from Avdiivka.
A Ukrainian soldier recounted to The Washington Publish how he witnessed a whole convoy of males being worn out by Russian artillery as he and his fellow troops have been escaping Avdiivka, a metropolis in Ukraine that just lately fell to Russian forces.
In late February, Russia took management of Avdiivka, which had a inhabitants of about 30,000 folks, marking its most important territorial achieve in months.
Ukrainian troopers posted within the metropolis confronted fixed bombardment and fended off waves of Russian troops earlier than they have been in the end ordered to withdraw on February 17.
Outmanned and outgunned, seven Ukrainian troopers spoke to the Publish about how they narrowly escaped loss of life as they retreated from Avdiivka.
One 21-year-old soldier, recognized solely as Main, described being compelled to take cost of his unit after solely arriving in Avdiivka within the second week of February since there was “no person extra senior left.”
Main instructed the Publish that Russians have been “raining down very focused artillery hearth” on his unit whereas they have been defending the evacuation routes.
Then, after his unit had left Avdiivka, the soldier witnessed a whole convoy of males worn out by artillery.
“It was only a convoy of individuals. A convoy of the most effective males ever. And in entrance of our eyes, this convoy was destroyed by artillery. Individuals of my age, between 20 and 30,” Main instructed the Publish.
Different troopers recalled the Publish encountering brushes with loss of life as they tried to flee the town.
Shved, a 44-year-old marksman who suffered a number of concussions through the warfare, instructed the newspaper {that a} drone hit the automobile he and three different wounded males have been in, giving him one other concussion. All the lads survived, he stated.
The autumn of Avdiivka got here as US help for Ukraine, which incorporates $60 billion, stays in limbo. Biden administration officers have stated that greater than half of that cash would go towards the US protection industrial base.
Home Republican lawmakers have to this point stalled the passage of the emergency international help invoice.
Whereas Ukrainian officers sign urgency for additional help, Home Speaker Mike Johnson has stated that he didn’t need to “rush” the piece of laws that was already accepted by the Senate on February 13.
Main, the 21-year-old soldier, instructed the Publish that he believed Kyiv might have held on to Avdiivka if it had extra assets, together with manpower, artillery, and air protection.
“We simply wanted one thing to combat with,” he stated.
