The Ukrainian army retreated from the small town of Avdiyivka after a fierce battle that lasted for almost four months and during which Russian troops relentlessly stormed the place. The human losses for the Kremlin army were huge, the ambassador of Ukraine in Romania believes, and the Ukrainian military retreated also because they ran out of ammunition and equipment.

On the eastern front in Ukraine, just 15 kilometers from Donetsk, Ukrainian soldiers until recently held the town of Avdiyivka, a town that had a population of around 33,000 before the start of the war started by Russia.

Fierce battles for Avdiivka have been going on since October.

In the battle for Avdiivka alone, the Russians would have lost more than 47,000 soldiers, the Ukrainians

• “Since October, the Russians practically launched a brutal attack on this city. I noticed how indifferent they are to human lives, because only in Avdiivka did they suffer huge human losses. According to our estimates, they lost more than 47,000 soldiers in just these four months of offensive from October 10 to February 17. Of them, more than 17,000 died in the battles,” said Ukrainian Ambassador to Romania Ihor Prokopchuk in a press conference, in which HotNews.ro also participated.

“It symbolizes complete disrespect for human life [pe care o au rușii]”, the ambassador added, noting that there was practically nothing left to defend in Avdiivka after the hostilities that took place there.

• VIDEO What the city of Avdiyivka looks like after “liberation” by Russian troops / Official photos of Moscow

Lack of ammunition among Ukrainians, a factor of concern

“In January, almost 600 bombs weighing 500 kilograms each were dropped on this city,” the ambassador said, showing reporters dramatic images of the ruins of residential buildings and deserted, abandoned streets.

However, Ihor Prokopchuk also noted that even the Ukrainian military, which withdrew from Avdiyivka after so many months of resistance, began to feel “a shortage of ammunition due to delays in the delivery of defense packages from our partners.”

The Ukrainian ambassador says that this underscores the need for unity among partners with Ukraine to be able to provide Ukrainian defenders with the necessary weapons and ammunition within the framework of a stable supply schedule.

The latest Ukrainian assessment: over 400,000 Russian soldiers could be withdrawn from hostilities in almost two years of war

According to the latest assessment published on Thursday by the Ukrainian army, since the start of the war started by Russia, Kremlin forces would have lost:

– 407,240 soldiers (+1,160 over the last day)

– 6523 tanks (+7)

– 12373 battle tanks (+35)

– 9867 artillery systems (+41)

– 997 salvo missile launch systems (+5)

– 680 anti-aircraft systems (+2)

– 7596 drones (+36)

– 339 aircraft (+1)

– 325 helicopters

– 25 ships and boats

– 1 submarine

• VIDEO Heavy fighting during the retreat from Avdiiv “hell”: M1224 MaxxPro entered the city to evacuate Ukrainian defenders