Russia's great victory in Ukraine

According to Tass, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian units have completely liberated the town of Avdeyevka and are moving forward. Ukrainian losses in this battle alone in the previous 24 hours exceeded 1,500 troops. Avdeyevka is located 13 km north of Donetsk.

Russia also declared full control of a vast Soviet-era coke plant in the ruined Ukrainian town of Avdiivka, consolidating its biggest battlefield victory in nine months after one of the fiercest battles, Reuters reported. The plant is one of Europe's largest.

According to experts, the victory at Avdiivka on February 18 was Russia's biggest victory since it took control of the city of Bakhmut in May 2023 and came close to the two-year anniversary of President Vladimir Putin launching a special military operation in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin assessed this as an important victory and congratulated the Russian army.

Ukraine said earlier it had withdrawn its troops to preserve its forces after months of fierce fighting. The Ukrainian military said there had been casualties but the situation had stabilized somewhat after the withdrawal.

After Ukraine's failure to break through Russia's defenses in 2023, Kiev is considering a new major mobilization and President Volodymyr Zelensky has also appointed a new commander to run the war.

Avdiivka, known as Avdeyevka in Russia, has been the scene of a decade of conflict. It is particularly symbolic for Russia because it was briefly seized by separatists in 2014, but was later retaken by Ukrainian troops.

KHANH MINH

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