Ukrainian military reveals how many civilians remaining in Avdiivka
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
Currently, there is no accurate information about how many civilians are in Avdiivka. According to preliminary data, more than 900 people may remain in the city, says the Spokesperson for the Tavria operational-strategic group Dmytro Lykhoviy.
"According to the local military administration, last week there were 935 civilians in the city, only adults. The situation with civilian evacuation had already significantly worsened by then, as it had not been happening for several days. Volunteers, police units, and government representatives couldn't enter Avdiivka. Supplies were only going to the military defending the city," he said.
He noted that on February 13, according to the police, five civilians - four men and one woman - were taken out of Avdiivka.
"At the same time, under the prevailing conditions, it was very difficult to verify the consequences of Russian strikes on residential buildings, and sometimes it was completely impossible. That is, we cannot now accurately determine the number of people who died as a result of enemy shelling on Avdiivka," the spokesman added.
For example, as Lykhoviy said, on February 8, the occupiers carried out an airstrike on a warehouse in the ATB supermarket at 3 Tsentralny Avenue. At that time, people were hiding there, and many of them died. However, by the morning of February 14, local authorities still had no verified information on the number of dead.
Situation in Avdiivka
The Russian army launched an offensive on Avdiivka in early October. During the assaults, it loses a significant amount of equipment and personnel. According to British intelligence, Avdiivka remains the main direction for Russia at the front.
Yesterday, the Third Assault Brigade confirmed that they had been redeployed to the Avdiivka region to strengthen Ukrainian defenses.
The defenders showed footage from Avdiivka and noted that the battles in this direction were more difficult than those in Bakhmut.
The Third Assault Division emphasizes that they are holding defensive positions in Avdiivka, but the occupiers have engaged the forces of two regular armies in the fighting, and the ratio at the brigade level is 7 to 1.
The defenders also reported that the occupiers were using phosphorous shells, and tanks with fuel oil caught fire at the coke plant.
Today, the commander of the "Tavria" OSUV, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, announced the decision to withdraw from the Zenit position on the southeastern outskirts of Avdiivka.
