Ukraine frontline fighting: Retreat from Avdiivka | BBC News

*** Warning: graphic frontline footage
Ukraine’s forces have retreated from Avdiivka, a key eastern city besieged by Russian forces for months. Ukrainian troops pulled out as Russian forces advanced and seized control of the city in the Donetsk region. The retreat was ordered to save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, according to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia's defence ministry said it had full control of the city, with President Vladimir Putin hailing it as an "important victory". Almost all of Avdiivka's pre-war population of more than 30,000 people have fled and the city itself is almost completely destroyed.

Its fall marks Russia's biggest victory in Ukraine for months. Mr Zelensky blamed a lack of Western weapons supplies. US President Joe Biden accused his political opponents in Washington of sharing responsibility for the Ukrainian defeat.

Ukraine has been experiencing shortages in ammunition and other military equipment. Its army depends on supplies from western allies. However the latest package of military aid from the United States has been blocked due to political opposition from Republicans and some Democrats in the US Congress. The United States has been Ukraine’s main weapons supplier, providing billions of dollars of military support since the Russian invasion in 2022.