Ukraine says withdraws from position south of embattled Avdiivka

Ukraine said Friday it was pulling back from a position on the southern outskirts of frontline city Avdiivka, a main target for Moscow ahead of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Facing a shortage of ammunition and outnumbered on the battlefield, Ukraine may be forced to withdraw from the eastern town, which has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance against the Russian attack.

The fighting raged as President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Berlin to rally Western support. He will later travel to Paris and address the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

Russia's forces in October mounted a costly bid to seize Avdiivka, resulting in massive damage to the town and heavy casualties, reminiscent of the battle for Bakhmut.

"After many months of confrontation, the command decided to withdraw from the Zenit position on the southeastern outskirts of Avdiivka," Oleksandr Tarnavsky, a Ukrainian general in the east, said on social media.

He noted the move was made to "save personnel and improve the operational situation," adding the withdrawal did "not give the enemy a strategic advantage" and was done with "minor" losses.

Capturing Avdiivka would be the most significant territorial gain for Moscow since it seized Bakhmut last May after months of bloody fighting.

"It was difficult there (in Bakhmut) but now it is extremely difficult," said the spokesman of the 3rd Assault Brigade, Oleksandr Borodin, adding the Avdiivka fight was comparatively "more difficult" because Russian forces are now better equipped.

Online maps of troop movements prepared by military bloggers close to both the Ukrainian and Russian armies showed Russian forces closing in on Avdiivka, taking over positions held by Ukrainian forces the day before.

  'New prepared positions'

 "Troops are also maneuvering to new prepared positions to continue to destroy the Russian occupiers and hold the city," said Tarnavsky, a Ukrainian general in the east.

The Ukrainian army said it was reinforcing units, with troops "manoeuvring on threatened axes."

"Ukrainian defenders continue to hold back the enemy who keeps trying to encircle Avdiivka... the Ukrainian soldiers are standing their ground," it added.

Zelensky said Thursday night that his government would do "everything" to save lives in the town, surrounded on three sides by Russian forces.

The battle for the industrial hub, less than 10 kilometres (6 miles) north of the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk, has been one of the bloodiest of the two-year war.

Almost every building has been damaged or destroyed, according to the Centre for Information Resilience.

Despite daily shelling, almost 1,000 residents have remained in the town, once home to over 30,000 people, its mayor Vitaly Barabash said in early February.

A Ukrainian army spokesman said bringing in supplies to the town and evacuating those who want to leave had become "complicated".

  'At risk of falling' 

 The fate of Avdiivka has also drawn concern in Washington, Ukraine's key backer.

"Avdiivka is at risk of falling into Russian control," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Thursday.

Democratic President Joe Biden and the Republican-led House are at an impasse over a White House request for $60 billion in military aid to help Ukraine's defence as the Russian invasion enters its third year.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg had warned Thursday that the delay was already limiting Ukraine's battlefield capacity.

Zelensky on Friday signed a security deal with Germany in Berlin, hailed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz as a "historic step" anchoring sustained support for Kyiv.

The French presidency also confirmed that a security agreement would be signed with Ukraine, but did not provide any specifics on its content.

On top of the US aid hold-up, the European Union has admitted that it will only be able to send half of the one million artillery shells it had originally promised would be despatched by March.