Hundreds of Ukrainian troops may have been captured by Russia during their chaotic withdrawal from the eastern city of Avdiivka.
Western and Ukrainian sources said between 850 and 1,000 troops appear to have been taken prisoner or are unaccounted for following the retreat, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s newly-appointed commander-in-chief, had decided to pull back from the symbolic city in the Donetsk region to prevent his men being encircled by advancing Russian forces.
Kyiv’s troops had found themselves outgunned and outnumbered in an increasingly desperate battle to hold the industrial town after Moscow significantly ramped up its effort to secure its first battlefield victory in months.
The retreat was believed to have gone according to plan with minimal losses after one of Ukraine’s best, battle-hardened units was deployed to stabilise the situation and cover the withdrawal.
However, General Oleksandr Tarnavsky, the commander of Ukraine’s forces in the area, acknowledged some troops had been taken prisoner.
He said: “Nevertheless, at the final stage of the operation, under the pressure of the prevailing enemy forces, a number of Ukrainian servicemen were captured.”
Kyiv has since attempted to downplay losses suffered during the withdrawal after the pullback was ordered last Friday.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
