MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. The new commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, Alexander Syrsky, has described the situation in the areas of Avdeyevka and Kupyansk as extremely complicated and tense.

"Together with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov we have made a working visit to military units and units that defend positions in the area of Avdeyevka and Kupyansk. The situation is very difficult and tense," he wrote in his Telegram channel.

"We analyzed the available resources and the needs of our troops. Based on the results of the work we made a number of important decisions aimed at strengthening the combat capabilities of our military units," Syrsky said.

Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada described the situation on the battlefield as critical. President Vladimir Zelensky, speaking about progress in combat operations, especially singled out Avdeyevka and recognized that the situation there was difficult. Avdeyevka has been turned by Ukrainian troops into one of the main strongholds during the conflict in Donbass. At the end of December 2023, Valery Zaluzhny, the then commander-in-chief, said that the Ukrainian army might have to leave Avdeyevka in two or three months.

On February 8, Zelensky dismissed Zaluzhny, pointing to the stagnation on the frontline. Syrsky, who has succeeded Zaluzhny, is blamed for the failures near Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukraine) and the resulting heavy losses.