In Avdiivka, together with the fighters of the Ukrainian battalion “Azov” (an organization banned in Russia), mercenaries from Georgia and Canada were present. This was reported by TASS, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense.
As a serviceman of the assault unit of the Russian task force “Centr” with the call sign “KHMAO” stated in a video released by the ministry, during the battle for a stronghold in the city, “the enemy, fearing encirclement, retreated, ran away.”
“Here was ‘Azov,’ as far as I remember, their third battalion. We captured a prisoner. He engaged in a dialogue with us and told us that Canadian mercenaries were involved here,” the soldier said.
Another Russian fighter stated that, according to the interrogation of the commander of the “Azov” battalion, there were about ten Canadians. Moreover, he said there were also Georgian mercenaries.
The day before, Denis Pushilin, the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), stated that Russian troops had captured a significant number of Ukrainian military personnel in the area of the city of Avdiivka, which came under the control of the Russian army.
On February 17, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu reported to the country’s president, Vladimir Putin, about the liberation of Avdiivka. The Russian Ministry of Defense noted that the captured settlement was a powerful defensive hub for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). Some scattered units of the Ukrainian troops managed to hastily leave Avdiivka, leaving behind weapons and military equipment.
Earlier, the Pentagon called the surrender of Avdiivka a harbinger of further defeats for the AFU.
