"To avoid being surrounded, they decided to retreat to another line. This does not mean that everyone retreated a few kilometers and Russia gained something, they did not gain anything," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, according to AFP.

"Our ability to save lives is the most important task for us," Mr. Zelensky added.

Also at the Munich Security Conference, President Zelensky warned that Ukraine's fight to repel Russian troops was being hampered by a lack of long-range weapons and artillery shells.

“Keeping Ukraine in a state of man-made weapons shortage, especially a shortage of artillery and long-range capabilities, allows [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war,” Zelensky said.

"Don't ask Ukraine when the war will end. Ask yourself, why can Mr. Putin continue the war?", Mr. Zelensky added.

There is currently no information about Russia's reaction to President Zelensky's statement or Ukraine's withdrawal from Avdiivka.

In October 2023, Russia launched an attack on Avdiivka, which is considered the gateway to the nearby Russian-controlled city of Donetsk and a pillar in its goal of controlling the entire Donbass region.

The fall of Ukrainian forces in Avdiivka is seen by analysts as an important symbolic victory for Russia ahead of the 2nd anniversary of Russia's military operation in Ukraine (February 24, 2022) and a milestone since Moscow took control of the city of Bakhmut, also in eastern Ukraine, in May 2023, according to AFP.