04:19Avdeevka, a key strategic town in the Donetsk People's Republic, was captured on video just days after it came under the control of the Russian military.
The exclusive footage taken on Monday shows damaged and destroyed residential buildings and debris on the ground.
One local resident said that the few remaining civilians had been hiding in basements. He also welcomed the Russian troops, adding that it was 'hard to believe'.
"That's it, we are home. To put it shortly, that's it. Everyone is emotional, well, it's hard to believe it. <...> I saw them in the window coming in from over there, from the tracks, I saw their armbands, I thought - well, that's it... I see it all and I can't believe it. It's hard to believe that that's it, it's over," he said.
The Russian Ministry of Defence also reported that in the Avdeevka direction, units of the Centre Group of Forces had 'captured more favourable lines and positions', and 'fully liberated' the town's coke and chemical plant.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed that forces had taken full control of the town on Saturday. President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Central Group of Forces commander Colonel General Andrey Mordvichev, in which he congratulated the troops on the military achievement, calling it 'an important victory'.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi announced his troops were withdrawing from Avdeevka to 'avoid encirclement and preserve the lives of the soldiers'.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy added that the AFU had been forced to leave the town to 'preserve the lives of the people, the soldiers' and said the withdrawal was 'the right decision'.
Located 10 kilometres north of Donetsk, Moscow claimed Avdeevka had been used by the Ukrainian army as a stronghold to launch attacks on the city since 2014.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
'We are home' - Avdeevka resident on Russian forces taking control of town *EXCLUSIVE*
Avdeevka, a key strategic town in the Donetsk People's Republic, was captured on video just days after it came under the control of the Russian military.
The exclusive footage taken on Monday shows damaged and destroyed residential buildings and debris on the ground.
One local resident said that the few remaining civilians had been hiding in basements. He also welcomed the Russian troops, adding that it was 'hard to believe'.
"That's it, we are home. To put it shortly, that's it. Everyone is emotional, well, it's hard to believe it. <...> I saw them in the window coming in from over there, from the tracks, I saw their armbands, I thought - well, that's it... I see it all and I can't believe it. It's hard to believe that that's it, it's over," he said.
The Russian Ministry of Defence also reported that in the Avdeevka direction, units of the Centre Group of Forces had 'captured more favourable lines and positions', and 'fully liberated' the town's coke and chemical plant.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed that forces had taken full control of the town on Saturday. President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Central Group of Forces commander Colonel General Andrey Mordvichev, in which he congratulated the troops on the military achievement, calling it 'an important victory'.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi announced his troops were withdrawing from Avdeevka to 'avoid encirclement and preserve the lives of the soldiers'.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy added that the AFU had been forced to leave the town to 'preserve the lives of the people, the soldiers' and said the withdrawal was 'the right decision'.
Located 10 kilometres north of Donetsk, Moscow claimed Avdeevka had been used by the Ukrainian army as a stronghold to launch attacks on the city since 2014.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Avdeevka, a key strategic town in the Donetsk People's Republic, was captured on video just days after it came under the control of the Russian military.
The exclusive footage taken on Monday shows damaged and destroyed residential buildings and debris on the ground.
One local resident said that the few remaining civilians had been hiding in basements. He also welcomed the Russian troops, adding that it was 'hard to believe'.
"That's it, we are home. To put it shortly, that's it. Everyone is emotional, well, it's hard to believe it. <...> I saw them in the window coming in from over there, from the tracks, I saw their armbands, I thought - well, that's it... I see it all and I can't believe it. It's hard to believe that that's it, it's over," he said.
The Russian Ministry of Defence also reported that in the Avdeevka direction, units of the Centre Group of Forces had 'captured more favourable lines and positions', and 'fully liberated' the town's coke and chemical plant.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed that forces had taken full control of the town on Saturday. President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Central Group of Forces commander Colonel General Andrey Mordvichev, in which he congratulated the troops on the military achievement, calling it 'an important victory'.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi announced his troops were withdrawing from Avdeevka to 'avoid encirclement and preserve the lives of the soldiers'.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy added that the AFU had been forced to leave the town to 'preserve the lives of the people, the soldiers' and said the withdrawal was 'the right decision'.
Located 10 kilometres north of Donetsk, Moscow claimed Avdeevka had been used by the Ukrainian army as a stronghold to launch attacks on the city since 2014.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.