Kremlin says pullout was rushed and chaotic as it congratulates its soldiers on biggest gain since last May
- Ukraine war – live updates
Russia has said it has taken full control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, its biggest gain since capturing Bakhmut last May, after a retreat by Ukrainian troops.
Ukrainian forces had withdrawn from the city in the industrial Donbas region to avoid encirclement, the army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Saturday, adding that he had acted to “preserve the lives and health of servicemen”, stabilise the situation and move troops to more favourable defence lines.
On Wednesday 21 February at 7pm GMT Guardian Live will be holding an online event about the Russia-Ukraine war, with panellists including Luke Harding, Charlotte Higgins and novelist Andrey Kurkov. Book tickets here.
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