Ukraine's army chief Syrskyi announces withdrawal of troops from Avdiivka

Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, informed about this.

"Based on the operational situation around Avdiivka, in order to avoid encirclement and save the lives and health of servicemen, I decided to withdraw our units from the city and move to defense on more favorable lines," the statement reads.

The Commander-in-Chief noted that the defense forces "performed their military duty with dignity, did everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units, inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment."

"We are taking measures to stabilize the situation and maintain our positions. The life of military personnel is the highest value. We will still return Avdiivka," added Syrskyi.

The commander of the Tavria operational and strategic grouping of troops, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, confirmed the withdrawal of Ukrainian defenders:

"In accordance with the order we received, we left Avdiivka for pre-prepared positions. In a situation where the enemy is advancing over the corpses of their own soldiers with a ten-to-one shelling advantage, under constant bombardment, this is the only right decision."

The general noted that encirclement was prevented, the servicemen were withdrawn, and Ukrainian soldiers took up defense at the designated lines.

• Oleksandr Borodin, a spokesman for the Third Assault Brigade, which was redeployed to this area, said that the situation in Avdiivka is critical: Russia has started using phosphorus ammunition and guided aerial bombs on a regular basis. Rodion Kudriashov, deputy commander of the 3rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, said that the soldiers were completely surrounded by the Russian troops in one of the areas in Avdiivka.
• On February 16, the command of the Tavria operational and strategic grouping of troops decided to withdraw Ukrainian troops from the Zenit position on the southeastern outskirts of Avdiivka. 
• On February 16, the Third Assault Brigade stated that there were at least 15,000 Russian army personnel on their frontline in Avdiivka. However, Russia is suffering disproportionate losses.
• The commander of the Tavria operational and strategic grouping of troops, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, reported that as of 9 p.m. on February 16, heavy fighting was going on in Avdiivka. The Russian forces are practically wiping the city off the map, and Russia is throwing all its reserves into the assault.