Russian troops have taken full control of the town of Avdiivka near Donetsk, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Saturday.
The Defense Ministry announced on its Telegram channel that Shoigu had reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin that the troops of the Center group, led by Lieutenant General Andrey Mordvichev, had completely captured the city of Avdiivka.
The ministry said that the Russian troops had taken control of territory of 31.75 square kilometers from the Ukrainian forces, and that Ukraine had lost more than 1,500 servicemen in the battles for Avdiivka in the last 24 hours.
“Under the continuous fire impact of the Russian troops, only separate scattered formations of Ukrainian militants managed to hastily leave Avdiivka, abandoning their weapons and military equipment. Currently, measures are being taken to finally clear the city of militants, blocking the Ukrainian units that left the city and settled at the Avdiivka coke and chemical plant,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The full control of Avdiivka had allowed the Russian troops to push back the front line from Donetsk, thus significantly securing the military from Ukrainian attacks, the ministry added.
