KYIV - Ukrainian troops withdrew from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka, Kyiv's military chief said on Saturday, and Russian President Vladimir Putin called the capture of the city "an important victory."
It was Russia's biggest advance since it took the city of Bakhmut last May, and came as Ukraine faces acute shortages of ammunition with fresh U.S. military aid delayed for months in Congress.
Nearly two years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it is the clearest sign yet of how the tide of the war has turned in Moscow's favor after a Ukrainian counteroffensive failed to break through Russian lines last year.
U.S. President Joe Biden warned this week that Avdiivka could fall to Russian forces because of ammunition shortages following months of Republican congressional opposition to a new U.S. military aid package for Kyiv.
A White House statement on Saturday said Biden called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday to underscore the U.S. commitment to continue supporting Ukraine and reiterated the need for Congress to urgently pass the package to resupply Ukrainian forces.
The White House said the withdrawal had been forced upon Ukraine "by dwindling supplies as a result of congressional inaction," that had forced Ukrainian soldiers to ration ammunition and resulted in "Russia’s first notable gains in months."
Putin congratulated military units and their commander after being presented with a report on the capture of the city from Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, the Kremlin said on its website.
"The head of state congratulated Russian soldiers on this success, an important victory," it said.
"I express my gratitude to all troops under your direction who took part in battles for Avdiivka," Russian news agencies quoted Putin as saying in a telegram to the commander of the "center" group of forces in Ukraine, Colonel-General Andrei Mordvichev.
Capturing the city is likely to provide a morale boost for Russia ahead of Putin's bid for re-election next month, which is almost certain to result in his victory.
It is also seen as another step towards securing Moscow's hold on the regional center of Donetsk, about 20 km (12 miles) to the east, held by Russian and pro-Russian forces since 2014.
Russia has not given details of its losses in the brutal fighting, but Ukrainian officials and Western military analysts say its advances have come at a staggering cost in terms of personnel and armored vehicles.
Putin's telegram paid tribute to soldiers who had died in the campaign, saying: "Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in fulfilling the tasks of the special military operation!"
Zelenskiy praised his troops for "exhausting" Russian forces in Avdiivka and said he agreed with the decision to withdraw to save lives.
ZELENSKIY IMPLORES WEST FOR SUPPLIES
Addressing the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskiy implored his Western allies to step up supplies of military aid and suggested the withdrawal was partly caused by a lack of weapons.
"Now, (the military) will replenish, they will wait for the relevant weapons, of which there simply weren't enough, simply aren't enough," he said. "Russia has long-range weapons, while we simply don't have enough."
In a post on X, Zelenskiy expressed hope that the U.S. Congress would make a "wise decision."
"We discussed the current frontline situation," he said of his call with Biden. "I am grateful to have President Biden's full support."
Zelenskiy said he had met in Munich with a delegation of Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
"We hope that the House of Representatives will make decisions to ensure further necessary U.S. support for Ukraine," he said. "We must win this war."
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said Avdiivka showed to need for modern air defense systems to counter guided bombs and long-range weapons to destroy enemy formations. He said artillery shells were also needed.
Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who took command of the Ukrainian military in a major shake-up last week, said Ukrainian forces had moved back to more secure positions outside the town, which had a pre-war population of 32,000, "to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of servicemen."
Some Ukrainian soldiers were captured by Russia in the final stages, said Brigadier-General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander who has been overseeing the fighting in Avdiivka for months, without specifying how many.
Ukraine's 3rd Assault Brigade, which officials say was deployed to Avdiivka this week, said on Telegram that it had pulled back to prepared positions on the outskirts of Avdiivka and evened out the front line.
"At this time, the Russians are not slowing down their assault. We keep holding the line in the area of Avdiivka." it said.
Avdiivka has borne the brunt of mounting offensive pressure by Russia in the east since October, as wavering Western military aid has compounded the fatigue of Ukrainian troops fighting since early 2022.
Ukraine's positions had looked fraught for weeks.
The Third Assault Brigade, a prominent infantry assault unit, was rushed to the town to help reinforce troops this week as other Ukrainian forces pulled back from its southeast.
The unit described the fighting as "hell" and said on social media that Ukrainian defenders had been outnumbered by Russian forces by a ratio of about six to 100 in some places. (Reporting by Yuliia Dysa in Gdansk, Tom Balmforth and Max Hunder in Kyiv; Additional reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru, Steve Holland and David Brunnstrom in Washington and Ron Popeski in Winnipeg; Editing by Sandra Maler, Stephen Coates, Giles Elgood, Diane Craft and Nick Zieminski)
