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Moscow: Russia claimed that its forces had complete control of the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka on Sunday. The successful advance is a first for Russia in almost a year since its biggest gain of capturing Bakhmut in May last year, Reuters reported.
The Russian defence ministry said on Sunday that its forces advanced 8.6 km in the 1000 km frontline, while Ukraine informed that it had withdrawn its soldiers to save them from being completely surrounded.
Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated the fall of Avdiivka and congratulated his troops.
"The head of state congratulated Russian soldiers on this success, an important victory," Reuters quoted Kremlin's statement.
However, some of the Ukrainian forces are holed up at an old coke plant in the town. Russia had to take control of that Soviet-era factory so that it could have total control of the industrial Donbas region.
Russian defence ministry informed that it had taken measures to completely clear the town as well as block the Ukranian troops that had left the town and sheltered themselves in the coke plant.
Further, the Russian state-run TV channel broadcast Ukrainian flags being removed in the town, replacing them with Russian ones. They replaced the flag over the coke plant, too.
It was in February end, 2022 that Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, starting a full-scale war. This was after eight years of conflict in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian Ukrainians.
In 2014, Russia annexed Avdiivka for a brief period after Moscow-backed separatists seized certain parts of eastern Ukraine. However, Ukraine recaptured the town and built extensive defence infrastructure there later. The town thus holds particular symbolism for Russia.