KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s military chief said early Saturday that he is withdrawing troops from the city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, where outnumbered defenders battled a Russian assault for four months. In recent days, reports emerged that Ukrainian troops in Avdiika faced a deteriorating situation. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday that Russian forces were beginning to overwhelm Ukrainian defenses in the eastern city. He said Avdiivka is at risk of falling to Russia, a development he blamed “in very large part” on the fact that Ukrainian forces are running out of artillery ammunition. “Russian forces would be highly unlikely to make rapid operationally significant advances from Avdiivka if they captured the settlement, and the potential Russian capture of Avdiivka at most would set conditions for further limited tactical gains,” it added.
