The President emphasized that the military is the main weapon.
The decision of the military command to withdraw from Avdiivka is correct, President Vladimir Zelensky said after speaking at the Munich Security Conference. He believes that this is a professional decision, the purpose of which is to save the lives of Ukrainians.
Preserving soldiers is protection, he emphasized. The President added that weapons help restore justice, but these weapons are held by the military, and it is they who liberate territories and protect people.
“Therefore, the decision is correct. In order not to be surrounded, the decision was made to retreat to other lines. This does not mean that people went out for some kilometers and Russia captured something. It did not capture anything. We must understand with you: Russia is for “They tried to do something in the East for two years of war. What is something? They simply destroyed several cities and towns. But most of all, what they did was destroy our lives,” he said.
Zelensky said that Russia's counter-offensive began in October, and since then the occupiers have attacked Avdiivka with all the weapons they had. According to the president, the Russian Federation lost tens of thousands of occupiers in Avdiivka.
Ukraine did not have enough weapons, he added.
“There is no long-range failure. Russia has it, but we have very little of it “This is the whole truth,” he said
- On the night of February 17, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexander Syrsky, announced the decision to withdraw from Avdeevka, which the Russians are literally erasing.
- The day before yesterday, the commander of the Tavria operational-strategic group of troops, Alexander Tarnavsky, called the situation in Avdeevka controlled and complex. He said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were conducting maneuvers there.
- The Third Assault Brigade confirmed that its units were urgently sent to Avdievka for reinforcement. In the morning, the fighters reported that the invaders were carrying out continuous shelling and assault operations, and were using phosphorus shells against the coke plant in Avdievka. From these shells, tanks with fuel oil burn, and toxic smoke spreads throughout the entire territory of the enterprise.
- The brigade also said that some of its military are completely surrounded and are trying to break through.
- Then the Commander of the Tavria OSUV, Alexander Tarnavsky, confirmed that there was a decision to withdraw from the Zenit position in the east of Avdeevka.
- Zelensky said that in Avdiivka the command is using “new approaches.”