Illustrative Image
The Armed Forces of Ukraine lost control of the village of Lastochkino west of Avdeevka. Russian flags are waving in the village; but the AFU refuse to admit their defeat.
On February 25, the speaker of the group of Ukrainian troops “Tavria” officially declared the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to ”the western outskirts of Lastochkino to some pre-prepared defensive lines”.
Indeed, the Russian military continues the mop up operation to secure their stronghold in the village. The demining of the settlement is ongoing. The Russian Ministry of Defense is also yet to officially confirm the control of Lastochkino. The Russian military officials usually declare the victory after a settlement comes under their full control.
The mop up operation can take some time more, but the footage from Lastochkino confirms that the Ukrainian military command failed to secure the evacuation of Ukrainian servicemen from the village. Ukrainian soldiers were forced to escape from the village by foot:
Some were more lucky to find Bradley to escape, but they also came under Russian fire:
The Ukrainian military command did not learn the lesson of their defeat in Avdeevka. The AFU command still attempts to assure the public that the officers care about their servicemen. They are allegedly forced to withdraw from the cities to some ‘prepared more advantageous positions’ to ‘save live of Ukrainian servicemen’. In fact, the Ukrainian troops are running away from their military positions by foot, escaping from the lost settlements under Russian fire. Russian advance in the region allowed to show the heaviest losses of the Ukrainian army as a result of their recent ‘organised withdrawal’ from Avdeevka:
