Russian Forces Captured Avdeyevka With Minimal Losses - Shoigu

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia has been preparing the operation to take control of Avdeyevka since the fall of 2023, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a bilateral meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, where the minister reported on the latest developments in the special op zone to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

Liberation of Avdeyevka

Shoigu elaborated on the success of the Russian army in complete liberation of the settlement of Avdeyevka that holds serious strategic importance in the area.

"Preparations for it [the operation] began a long time ago, it required to create a sufficiently large number of forces in north and south-west of Avdeyevka. The General Staff has been planning this work, preparing for it ... since last fall," Shoigu said after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Russian General Staff managed to carried out the operation to take control of Avdeyevka with minimal losses, the minister said, adding that Russian troops carried out 460 strikes per day on the city, which is 200 tonnes of ammunition.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation managed to carry out the operation to capture Avdeyevka with minimal losses, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has said.

Offensive operations after the liberation of the city continue to the west, 72 square… pic.twitter.com/u83rRo6oEz

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) February 20, 2024

Russian offensive operations after the fight for Avdeyevka are directed west, 72 square km (27.7 square miles) have been taken under control, Shoigu noted.

The minister also added that the Ukrainian armed forces fled Avdeyevka, leaving many wounded soldiers, weapons and mined areas behind.

"The enemy, flees [Avdeyevka], leaving many prisoners, many wounded behind. A lot of weapons were abandoned, a lot of portable anti-aircraft missile systems pipes. A lot of work is underway on mine clearance," he mentioned.

The footage from Russian drones shows that the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Avdeyevka was not organized, Shoigu said.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has released footage depicting the disorderly retreat of Ukrainian Armed Forces units from Avdeyevka. pic.twitter.com/6Ol9qlt1ek

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) February 18, 2024

Sergei Shoigu added that Ukraine has suffered some 2,400 military casualties in the fight for Avdeyevka on February 17-18.

Ukraine's 'Counteroffensive'

Sergei Shoigu spoke of Ukraine's last year's counteroffensive, saying that Russia’s general staff and intelligence have received information about planned Ukrainian counteroffensive at the beginning of 2023.

“In fact, the situation developed as follows: at the beginning of last year, the general staff and all types of intelligence received information that a serious counteroffensive was being prepared,” Shoigu told reporters.

Russian intelligence received information about the summer Ukrainian counteroffensive at the beginning of 2023, Shoigu said.

The whole idea of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, according to the minister, was dedicated to reaching the Sea of Azov.

But the exact location of the… pic.twitter.com/TvjqK23imr

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) February 20, 2024

He also mentioned that Ukraine’s counteroffensive was planned abroad, mainly in the Baltic states.

“It was all planned, naturally, by the staff and the headquarters that was created, it still works there today... It works like in the near abroad, in their neighboring countries … the Baltic states,” he said.

The failure of Kiev’s operation showed that their methods “are not so unique and successful," the minister added.

The minister went on to note that Russia had built deeply layered defense along the entire line of contact prior to Ukraine’s counteroffensive, but the location of Kiev’s main attack was not known beforehand.

"Realizing that we cannot waste time waiting, the president [Vladimir Putin] decided to create a deeply layered defense line along the entire line of contact," Shoigu told reporters.

What are the key fronts of Russia's special operation in Ukraine?

Avdeyevka has been successfully liberated by Russian forces. However, fighting near the city's outskirts persists, as well as in other strategically important areas along the frontline for the Russian army.… pic.twitter.com/b7RF2NcHXW

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) February 20, 2024

According to the minister, the Ukrainian command planned to deploy up to 160,000 troops, 800 tanks and 150 aircraft and helicopters during the counteroffensive.

"By the word 'serious' [counteroffensive] we mean not 100, not 200 people, when a group of almost 160,000 was being prepared, or to be more precise, 110 battalions plus 30 battalions almost in reserve, 800 tanks, almost 150 aircraft – airplanes and helicopters, more than 2,500 armored vehicles," he underlined.

The minister outlined the estimated losses of the Ukrainian army during their counteroffensive efforts last year.

"They lost 166,000 [soldiers as] killed and wounded... more than 800 tanks, almost 2,400 different armored fighting vehicles — armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles … in fact, from what they have today, more than half of the Leopards were destroyed, they lost 123 planes and helicopters in this direction," Shoigu noted.

He later mentioned that the main goal of Ukraine's counteroffensive was to reach the Sea of Azov. However, the Ukrainian troops failed to reach even the first line of defense.

"The aim was making a corridor to Mariupol, there ... Melitopol-Berdyansk, and the enemy had to go to Azov, regain the Sea of Azov, move ... to the Crimea. The whole idea that they tried to bring to life was dedicated to this," Shoigu emphasized.

NATO Capabilities in Support of Ukrainian Troops

The Defense Minister presented figures pertaining to the number of NATO equipment supporting Ukrainian forces.

"There are 67 NATO satellites alone, special reconnaissance satellites. And if we take together the satellite grouping of countries that support NATO countries, then this turns out to be 260 satellites that work against us and transmit information about the movement [of Russian troops] and many other things almost online," Shoigu mentioned.

Developments in the Kherson Region

Minister Shoigu reported that Russia has successfully cleared out the territory of Krynky in the Kherson Region, where Ukraine had previously deployed four marine corps brigades, aiming to reach Crimea’s western coast.

“All the clearance has been completed [in Krynky],” he said, adding that Ukraine had four marine corps brigades there.

Ukraine’s goal was to reach “the western coast of Crimea,” the minister noted, also mentioning that Ukraine lost 13,000 soldiers in the Kherson area alone during the counteroffensive last year.