The loss of the city of Avdiivka last month marked the end of a long, exhausting defense for the Ukrainian military. One brigade had defended the same block of buildings for months without a break. Another unit had been in the city for nearly two years. Ammunition was low, and the Russians conducted dozens of airstrikes every day.
The loss of the city of Avdiivka last month marked the end of a long, exhausting defense for the Ukrainian military. One brigade had defended the same block of buildings for months without a break. Another unit had been in the city for nearly two years. The serviceman of 47th brigade known by call-sign “Azimuth”, 33, pauses, during an interview with The Associated Press, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024.
Pope Francis: Ukraine should have the courage of the ‘white flag’ and negotiate an end of the war with RussiaThe Oscar for ’20 Days in Mariupol’ is a first for Ukraine and the AP The Russians were easy to take prisoner, and some had served for little more than a month, according to their documents. With ammunition stocks running low, Ukrainians fought back with whatever caliber of ammunition was left in the warehouses. For every shell they fired, the Russians fired eight or nine, the men said.
But as the new year began, even the coke plant felt vulnerable. The glide bombs began exploding by the dozens every day. As officials in Kyiv argued over the delicate question of expanding the draft, many of the soldiers in the east felt ignored by Western allies who no longer sent weapons, by their high command and by fellow Ukrainians.
With the constant pressure and the lack of help, there was talk of retreat, Oleh said. “Their constant assaults exhausted us.”arrived early in the second week of February, with orders to head directly to the coke plant. The all-volunteer brigade is famous for victory against the odds. By the time the seasoned fighters got to the plant, Russian troops had nearly closed a wide pincer around it.
“It would have been joyful if it had happened earlier. We were always ready to drop everything and flee from there because we had known for a long time that the end was coming,” he said. “But then we already knew it was too late, and it was out of desperation.”
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