Avdiivka has fulfilled its mission perfectly in terms of defense - military expert Zgurets

He told about it on Espreso TV channel.

"I will say that in terms of defense, Avdiivka has fulfilled its mission perfectly. And when we talk about the number of enemy losses, it is 47 thousand personnel, of which 16-17 thousand were killed and the rest wounded. A significant amount of enemy equipment was also destroyed. Let me remind you that Avdiivka is 10x10 kilometers, and usually, according to the old tactical standards, such an area is defended by one brigade. To capture this area, the enemy concentrated about 12 mechanized and motorized infantry brigades, in addition to special forces and intelligence services operating around Avdiivka," the military expert noted.

According to him, Russia concentrated more than 40 thousand personnel to take the area that was defended by several brigades.

"The main burden of defending Avdiivka was borne by the 110th Brigade, which was formed in 2022 and defended the city for two years. We honor and respect the soldiers of this brigade, because we understand the importance of the assistance of individual battalions of the 3rd Assault Brigade, and we remember that the 110th Brigade defended Avdiivka for two years during the most difficult periods. In my opinion, the integral interaction of these brigades is extremely important," summarized Serhiy Zgurets.

• On the night of February 16-17, in order to avoid encirclement and save the lives of the military, the Ukrainian Defense Forces command decided to withdraw the units from Avdiivka and move to defense on more favorable lines.
• The commander of the Tavria sector said that during the retreat from Avdiivka in Donetsk region, "a number" of Ukrainian defenders were taken prisoner by Russia.
• Ukrainian soldiers from the 3rd Separate Mechanized Brigade inflicted significant losses on the Russians in the battle for Avdiivka.
• Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that the decision to withdraw from Avdiivka was the right one and that Ukrainian soldiers are in need of some weapons and equipment.