Joe Biden blames Congress for Russia's takeover of Avdiivka in Ukraine
As Ukraine loses the the town of Avdiivka to Russia, lawmakers in Washington are facing blame from Joe Biden's administration, ITV News's Vincent McAviney reports
Russian troops say they have taken complete control of Avdiivka after spending nearly two years fighting over the Ukrainian town.
Moscow's forces were working to clear the final pockets of resistance at the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant, officials said in a statement, while videos on social media on Saturday appeared to show soldier raising the Russian flag over one of the plant's buildings.
The announcement came the same day that Ukraine’s military chief said he was withdrawing troops from the town, where outnumbered defenders battled a Russian assault for four months.Capturing Avdiivka, a long-time stronghold for Ukraine, is likely to serve as a morale boost for Russia ahead of the second anniversary its full-scale invasion of its neighbour on February 24, which has turned into a brutal and drawn-out war of attrition with heavy losses on both sides.
In recent days the US warned the town, in the eastern region of Donetsk Oblast, was in danger of falling into Russia's hands due to a shortage of artillery shells and long-range missiles.
US President Joe Biden blamed "inaction" in Congress for the fall of Avdiivka, as lawmakers in Washington stall the passing of a $60 billion (£47.6 billion) aid package for Ukraine.
In a short statement on Facebook, Ukrainian commander Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said he had made the decision to avoid encirclement and “preserve the lives and health of servicemen". The commander-in-chief added that troops were moving to “more favourable lines". He added: “Our soldiers performed their military duty with dignity, did everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units, inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment. “We are taking measures to stabilise the situation and maintain our positions,” the statement read. The withdrawal came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday made another trip to Western Europe, hoping to press his country’s Western allies to keep providing military support.
Speaking on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, Mr Zelenskyy invited US presidential hopeful Donald Trump to Kyiv, suggesting that he would be willing to work with him despite his scepticism towards Washington's support for Ukraine.
“If... he will come, I'm ready even to go with him to the frontline,” he added.
It was Col. Gen. Syrskyi's first major test since being appointed as Ukraine’s new army chief last week. In his previous position as commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, he faced criticism for holding on to the city of Bakhmut for nine months, a siege that became the war’s longest and bloodiest battle and cost Ukraine dearly, but also served to sap Russia’s forces. On Friday, Rodion Kudriashov, deputy commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade, said Ukrainian troops were still holding out against the onslaught of about 15,000 Russian soldiers, but he expected the situation would “soon become critical”. Russian warplanes have been dropping about 60 bombs a day, relentlessly shelling the area and launching assaults with armour and infantry, the brigade said in a social media post. A video showed dense black smoke over the Avdiivka Coke Plant, said to be caused by burning fuel oil reservoirs. The brigade wrote: “Poisonous smog spreads all over the plant.” Russian media reported the Kremlin’s forces were making extensive use of plane-launched glide bombs, which fly at a shallower angle, to batter Ukrainian positions.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday that Russian forces were beginning to overwhelm Ukrainian defences. He said Avdiivka is at risk of falling to Russia, a development he blamed “in very large part” on the fact that Ukrainian forces are running out of artillery ammunition.
The United States is Ukraine’s biggest single supporter but $60 billion for Kyiv is being held up by political disagreements among American lawmakers, prompting UK foreign secretary David Cameron to urge Congress members to pass the bill.
Mr Kirby added: "The cost of inaction by the Congress is stark. And it’s being born on the shoulders of Ukrainian soldiers. We need Congress to pass the national security supplemental bill without further delay.
"If House Republicans do not act soon, what is happening in Avdiivka right now could very well happen elsewhere along that front."
Heavily fortified with a web of tunnels and concrete fortifications, Avdiivka lies in the northern suburbs of Donetsk, a city in a region of the same name that Russian forces partially occupy. Fewer than 1,000 people remain in Avdiivka, according to the Donetsk regional governor, Vadym Filashkin. The city, with a prewar population of about 31,000, is today a bombed-out shell of what it once was. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said on Thursday that taking Avdiivka would be more of a symbolic win for the Kremlin and would not bring significant changes to the 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line that has barely budged in recent months. “The potential Russian capture of Avdiivka would not be operationally significant and would likely only offer the Kremlin immediate informational and political victories,” the institute said in an assessment. “Russian forces would be highly unlikely to make rapid operationally significant advances from Avdiivka if they captured the settlement, and the potential Russian capture of Avdiivka at most would set conditions for further limited tactical gains,” it added.
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