‘The fate of Avdiivka awaits all of Ukraine’, – Associated Press reported

The shortage of ammunition, physical and psychological exhaustion of soldiers, poor military management, and numerical superiority of Russian forces led to the worst defeat for Kyiv in a year – the surrender of Avdiivka.

This is reported by the Associated Press, citing Ukrainian soldiers who fought in the city.

These same problems, as noted by the publication, create risks for Ukraine’s immediate future.

“We, being tied to this place, were exhausted not so much physically as psychologically,” said Viktor Bilyak, a soldier of the 110th brigade who was stationed in this area since March 2022.

Ukrainian soldiers grimly joked that leaving Avdiivka could only be achieved by dying, getting wounded, or going to prison.

The article notes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the city faced a shortage of ammunition, while Russian troops carried out dozens of air strikes daily, using “guided bombs” that destroyed even fortified positions.

As the morale of Ukrainian soldiers plummeted, under unclear circumstances, the battalion commander, who had hundreds of soldiers under his command, disappeared, the publication writes, citing law enforcement agencies’ data.

One of the soldiers accompanying him was found dead. Since then, the commander and another soldier accompanying him have not been seen.