Ukraine’s Avdiivka at risk of falling to Russian forces: White House
- Ukraine rushes battle-hardened troops to Avdiivka, calling situation ‘extremely critical’
- The battle for the industrial hub has been one of the bloodiest of the two-year war
Ukraine has rushed soldiers to the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, which the White House said was at risk of falling to Russian forces after months of heavy fighting.
“Avdiivka is at risk of falling into Russian control,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington on Thursday, citing Ukrainian reports.
“In very large part, this is happening because the Ukrainian forces on the ground are running out of artillery ammunition. Russia is sending wave after wave of conscript forces to attack Ukrainian positions.”
Russia is trying to encircle and capture Avdiivka nearly two years after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Kyiv’s foothold in the town appears increasingly shaky, with its supply lines threatened.
Capturing Avdiivka is key to Russia’s aim of securing full control of the two provinces that make up the industrial Donbas region, and could hand President Vladimir Putin a battlefield victory to hold up to voters as he seeks re-election next month.
“In Avdiivka a manoeuvre is under way in some places to withdraw our units to more advantageous positions, in some places to force (the Russians) out of positions,” Ukrainian military spokesman Dmytro Lykhoviy said in televised comments.