Ukraine had a tough choice to make over troops in Avdiivka. The West cannot afford for that to keep happening

Saving lives was the priority says Volodymyr Zelensky, as delays to military aid from the US will only add to pressures on the battlefield, writes Askold Krushelnycky in Kyiv

Ukrainian soldiers fire an anti-tank grenade launcher towards Russian troops in Avdiivka (Reuters)

Ukrainian military and political leaders told The Independent late last year that they had contingency plans should the key town of Avdiivka fall.

So when the decision was made to withdraw from the devastated eastern town, which has gained symbolic significance to both Ukraine and Russia beyond its tactical worth, it was undoubtedly a setback – but not the nightmarish disaster it could have been. Ukrainian forces have fallen back to previously prepared defences, to avoid being encircled with consequent enormous casualties and thousands of soldiers taken as prisoners of war. Some soldiers were still taken in the retreat, thanks to what Ukrainian commanders called the “overwhelming enemy forces”.

Ukraine’s new military commander, General Oleksandr Sirsky, announced the retreat saying: “I decided to pull our units out of the town and redeploy them to more readily defendable positions. We are taking measures to stabilise the situation and to retain the new positions.