The Ukrainian army announces its withdrawal from Avdiivka after months of fighting in this town located in the east of the country

On Saturday, February 17, the Ukrainian army withdrew from the town of Avdiivka, after months of intense fighting in this town located in the east of the country. “According to the order received, [nous nous] We withdrew from Avdiivka to go to previously prepared positions.”The announcement was made during the night from Friday to Saturday by Ukrainian General Oleksandr Tarnavsky, the commander of this region, in a message on Telegram. Ukraine concedes to Russia its greatest symbolic victory after the failure of Kiev's counterattack last summer. Follow our live broadcast.

Ukrainian soldiers “captured” by Russian forces. Before formalizing the abandonment of the city, General Tarnavsky realized this “several soldiers” It was the Ukrainians “He was arrested” By the Russian forces that “Surplus of manpower, artillery and aviation”. The city was largely destroyed, but about 900 civilians remained, according to local authorities. Moscow hopes its capture will make Ukrainian bombing of Donetsk more difficult.

France and Ukraine sign a security agreement. The Ukrainian forces' abandonment of Avdiivka comes at a time when Volodymyr Zelensky is leading a European tour. While traveling to Paris on Friday evening, the Ukrainian president signed with Emmanuel Macron a bilateral security agreement that is supposed to guarantee long-term civilian and military support for Ukraine. In this text, France pledges to submit it in 2024 “Up to 3 billion euros” Military aid “additional” In Kiev, after support estimated at 1.7 billion in 2022 and 2.1 billion in 2023.

Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend the Munich Security Conference. The Ukrainian president is scheduled to travel to a security conference in Munich, Germany, on Saturday, where he will deliver a speech at 9:30 a.m. During the day, he is also scheduled to meet with US Vice President Kamala Harris and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.