Ukrainian troops completely withdraw from village in Donetsk region

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine announced on Monday that it has completely withdrawn its troops from the village of Lastochkyne, located about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) west of the city of Avdiivka in the country's eastern Donetsk region.

"The Ukrainian Armed Forces withdrew from the village of Lastochkyne to mount a defense along the Orlivka-Tonenke-Berdychi line and prevent the enemy from advancing further westward," Dmytro Lykhovii, a spokesman for Ukraine's Tavria group of troops, said live on national television.

Lykhovii said Ukrainian forces are actively defending the front line in the area, with the most intense clashes taking place near Avdiivka and Marinka, another city (located about 706 km southeast of capital Kyiv) taken under Russian control late December 2023.

On Feb. 17, Kyiv announced that its troops withdrew from Avdiivka (located some 705 km southeast of capital Kyiv) in order to "avoid encirclement."

In a separate statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces have taken control of Lastochkyne and are working to “improve the situation along the front line.