"Russia's Seizure of Avdiivka: Impact on Ukraine and International Relations"

Ukraine has withdrawn from the strategic city of Avdiivka, which has been under attack from Russia and its proxies. The city's capture is a significant defeat for Ukraine, highlighting its struggles with shortages of weapons and troops. Avdiivka's importance lies in its strategic and logistical value for Moscow, and its capture would push the front line of the war farther from Donetsk city. The withdrawal has sparked a war of messaging between Kyiv and Moscow, with Ukraine claiming to have inflicted significant losses on Russian forces, while Russia frames it as a symbolic victory. The United States emphasized the need for Congress to urgently pass a national security supplemental funding bill to resupply Ukrainian forces.