MOSCOW, February 17. /TASS/. Ukrainian troops retreated from Avdeyevka because the regime of President Vladimir Zelensky knows how to fight only for money and only against civilians, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote in her Telegram channel.

"No, not for that reason. But because ZePresident and the gang know how to ‘fight’ only for big money, which goes straight into their pockets, and only against civilians. Everything else doesn’t matter to them," the diplomat said, commenting on Zelensky saying that the city was abandoned to save people’s lives.

It was reported earlier that the Ukrainian operational-strategic group of troops Tavria, which is responsible for control of Avdeyevka, continued to surrender its positions in the city. "Ukrainian troops maneuver out of destroyed positions… and if necessary they take hold of new positions. Unfortunately, during one of such maneuvers several of our troops were captured," the group’s commander Alexander Tarnavsky said.