Ukrainian armed forces withdraw from Stepove and Sieverne, as Russian forces continue assaults.
ADVERTISEMENTRussian armed forces are continuing to push into the eastern town of Avdiivka, as Ukrainian armed forces withdrew from the villages of Stepove and Sieverne.
Both villages had a total population of fewer than 100 people before the invasion.
Ukrainian military spokesperson Dmytro Lykhoviy, who announced the withdrawal, claimed that Russian troops had taken significant losses in the battle for the villages.
Adviivka has seen heavy fighting since mid- October. The town, which has been ravaged by shelling, is the biggest gain by Russia since it took the northeastern town of Bakhmut last May.
According to the latest 'Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment' by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), "Russian forces temporarily decreased their tempo of operations as they cleared Avdiivka following the Russian seizure of the settlement on February 17, but have since resumed a relatively high tempo of assaults further west and northwest of Avdiivka".
Ukraine has recently suffered setbacks in the east following its initial success in 2022 in pushing back the Russian army. The ISW has previously claimed that dwindling supplies of Western-supplied arms are playing a key role in Kyiv currently failing to achieve its strategic aims.
Currently, Russia controls under a fifth of Ukraine's internationally recognised territory.
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