Update on the situation Saturday, February 17th, 5 p.m.
The withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from the city of Avdiivka in the east of the country was a “just decision” to “save as many lives as possible,” As Ukrainian soldiers struggled to withstand the onslaught of Russian troops, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.
Several Ukrainian soldiers were captured by Russia while retreating from the city of Avdiivkasaid Oleksandr Tarnavsky, the Ukrainian commander in southeastern Ukraine, on Telegram. “The relevant Ukrainian institutions will turn to international humanitarian organizations and mediating countries to ensure that the enemy treats prisoners of war humanely and in accordance with the norms of international humanitarian law and that our soldiers return to their homeland,” he said.
According to the latest assessment by the Ukrainian General Staff, the Ukrainian army killed 1,050 Russian soldiers, destroyed 11 tanks and 28 artillery systemsduring the last twenty-four hours.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy complained on Saturday in Munich about the current shortage of long-range weapons and ammunition for his armywhich, in his opinion, favors the advance of Russian troops in their offensive against his country.
The drone coalition was officially launched as part of the work of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said, on Facebook. Ukrainian Defense Minister Roustem Umierov signed the memorandum of understanding and expressed his “gratitude” to coalition leaders Latvia and the United Kingdom for the initiative.
A Ukrainian bomb attack has killed at least three people and injured four in a village in Ukraine's Donetsk region, controlled by the Russian army, an official from the occupation authorities said on Saturday. The toll could rise because “we are clearing away the rubble,” Dmitry Shevchenko, the local governor, wrote on Telegram.