Ukrainian troops pull out of key eastern town of Avdiivka, the 'gateway' to Donetsk

• Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the embattled eastern town of Avdiivka.
• Ukraine's commander in chief said it was to "avoid encirclement and preserve the lives servicemen."

Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the war-torn eastern town of Avdiivka.

In a post on Facebook, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, wrote that he had decided to pull out of the region "to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of servicemen."

Withdrawn troops have been moved to "more favorable lines," and they were "taking measures to stabilize the situation and maintain our positions," Syrskyi continued.

"Our soldiers performed their military duty with dignity" and "did everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units," he added, noting that they had also "inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment."

This is important — the news, which comes as the war is about to enter its third year, will be a strategic as well as a psychological blow for Ukraine, as it cedes control of "a very important strong point" in its defense of its forces' logistical hub at Pokrovsk, Mykola Bielieskov, a military analyst at the National Institute for Strategic Studies in Ukraine, told The New York Times.

"Taking control of Avdiivka might create an opening for Russia," he said.

Syrskyi's announcement comes after Russia had made several advances in the area 24 hours prior, the think tank the Institute for the Study of War said in an update on the conflict.

Russian forces now appeared "to be focused on complicating or preventing a complete Ukrainian withdrawal," according to the think tank.

Avdiivka, which has been described as the "gateway" to Donetsk, has been the scene of fierce fighting for months, as Russia sees it as key in its efforts to plunge deeper into the region.

The fall of the town marks one of the biggest changes in battle lines since Russia took Bakhmut in May 2023.

The war had since largely ground to a halt in many areas, with both sides struggling to advance, Ukraine's former commander in chief Valery Zaluzhny told the Economist in November.

"Just like in the First World War, we have reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate," Zaluzhny said, adding that it would take a major technological breakthrough to change this.

But Ukrainian forces battling for the town were facing severe ammunition shortages as talks in Congress over sending $60 billion in US aid stalled.

The bill passed the Senate earlier this week but faces challenges getting through the House of Representatives.

On Wednesday, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson said the House would not feel "rushed" to pass the bill, which would be $95.3 billion in total, with the additional funds going toward military aid for Israel, among other things.