DONETSK, April 7. /TASS/. The command of the Ukrainian forces in Avdeyevka, near Donetsk, is unable to organize operations well enough to keep scattered groups of servicemen from ending up as sitting ducks in the face of coordinated strikes by Russian forces, a captured Ukrainian soldier, Alexander Lyashenko, told TASS on Friday.
"Avdeyevka is being encircled. There is a lack of manpower. No reserves. No equipment. Ideally, the guys should be pulled out of there somehow. But the command has just corralled them all into one place, like lambs before slaughter, the way it happened in Bakhmut (Artyomovsk - TASS)," the POW said. According to his testimony, there are not enough Ukrainian troops in the area of Avdeyevka. Very often artillerymen, communication units and inexperienced recruits find themselves at the frontline. In a situation like this, all attempts to hold positions on the outskirts of Avdeyevka are futile. Russian forces are slowly but surely taking over," he added.
Lyashenko shared some experiences of his service in the 110th separate mechanized infantry brigade in Avdeyevka. He was captured about two weeks ago during an assault on Ukrainian positions.
"I told my commander that I refuse to go out there. There will be an assault sooner or later, I said. Then we heard the rattle of machine gun fire. We knew immediately that it was an assault. It followed at the moment when a change of shifts was due," said Lyashenko.
No replacements arrived. Lyashenko and other men refused to obey orders. Their platoon commander stopped answering calls from his trapped soldiers. After that, Lyashenko and four other Ukrainian soldiers surrendered.
"What surprised us in captivity was that we were treated normally. No brutality to complain about," he said. Lyashenko believes that the decision to surrender saved his life.
According to his testimony, since the start of the special military operation, the 110th separate mechanized brigade has lost almost half of its original manpower, as well as a significant number of newly-mobilized recruits, whom Kiev was regularly sending to Avdeyevka.
Avdeyevka is a town with a population of about 30,000. During the conflict in Donbass, Ukrainian forces turned it into a major stronghold. From Avdeyevka, Ukrainian artillery shells Donetsk, Makeyevka, Yasinovataya and the environs.