MOSCOW—After the town of Avdiivka fell and Ukrainian forces were forced to retreat in confusion, President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday that Russian troops will advance farther into Ukraine in an effort to capitalize on their military victories.
Once home to 32,000 people, the town was taken over by Russia on Saturday, marking Mr. Putin's greatest military triumph since Russian soldiers took control of Bakhmut in May 2023.
The Russian defense ministry broadcast television footage demonstrating that nearly every home in Avdiivka had a battle symbol painted on it.
On Tuesday, Mr. Putin stated that the Ukrainian military had started to leave the town in confusion when they received the order to retreat. According to him, every Ukrainian soldier who has been taken prisoner should be granted their legal rights as stipulated by international agreements.
“As for the overall situation in Avdiivka, this is an absolute success, I congratulate you. It needs to be built on,” Mr. Putin told Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in the Kremlin.
“But that development must be well-prepared, provided with personnel, weapons, equipment and ammunition,” Mr. Putin said. “It seems to be self-evident, but nevertheless I draw your attention to it.”
After months of intense warfare, Ukraine said it withdrew its men to prevent being completely besieged. Although there had been losses, the Ukrainian military said that following the withdrawal, things had partially calmed.
Each party claimed the other had sustained significant damages.
Moscow has been attempting to wear down Ukrainian forces as Kyiv considers a significant fresh mobilization following the country's inability to breach Russian front lines in the east and south last year.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, named a new war commander last week.
Ten years of fighting have passed in Avdiivka, also known as Avdeyevka among the Russians. Because it was temporarily seized by separatists in 2014 and then retaken by Ukrainian forces who constructed substantial defenses, it has special significance for Russia.
Situated in the industrial Donbas area, Avdiivka is 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of Donetsk, a Ukrainian city under Russian control. The Soviet-era coke factory in Avdiivka was one of the largest in Europe prior to the war.
In the southern Kherson area of Ukraine, Mr. Shoigu asserted, Russian soldiers had also seized control of the settlement of Krynky. The southern military command of Ukraine said that Russian strikes were ineffective and that its forces had maintained their positions on the Dnipro River's left bank.
