‘It was a road of death’: The Washington Post publishes fighters’ accounts of the difficulties of leaving Avdiivka

The Washington Post describes the loss of Avdiivka as a “crushing defeat for Ukraine.”

Citing Ukrainian military sources, the retreat from there was described as “panicked and disorganized,” with dozens of people abandoned in the city.

According to accounts from fighters of the 3rd Assault Brigade, whose call signs are provided by the publication, many evacuated at their own risk because the order to leave the city came too late, and they had to exit under intense enemy fire.

A fighter with the call sign “Major” (21 years old) stated that during the retreat of his unit, he became its commander because “so many soldiers were wounded that there was no one older left.”

As his group completely left the city, he witnessed a nearby column being hit hard.

“Before our eyes, this column was destroyed by artillery. People of my age, from 20 to 30,” Major reported.

“It was the road of death, the very last one out of Avdiivka,” the soldier added.

A fighter with the call sign “Kavkazets” reported that “three-quarters of the Russians they fought against had decent military training.” And only slightly more than half of his soldiers had combat experience.

“I believe the order to retreat should have been given earlier. Even five hours ago would have mattered,” Kavkazets said.

A soldier known as “Shved” recounted that a drone crashed into his vehicle during evacuation, but everyone survived. He personally suffered a concussion. Another fighter, “Bandit,” said that his unit decided to retreat, and as soon as they left their position, it was hit by projectiles with white phosphorus.

Another Ukrainian fighter mentioned that his unit encountered soldiers from another brigade who were lost. They had no communication with their commander and were unaware that the order to retreat had been given.

The Washington Post believes that the problem with holding Avdiivka was due to the better armament of the Russians. According to the article’s authors, the number of Ukrainian troops “far exceeds the Russians,” but the Ukrainian Armed Forces “are awaiting deliveries of Western weapons.”