MOSCOW, February 16. /TASS/. The Third Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces sent to counter the Russian Armed Forces in Avdeyevka was completely surrounded, the unit's deputy commander Rodion Kudryashov has said.

"The situation is critical in some places," he said in an interview with the Ukrainian branch of Radio Liberty (recognized as foreign agent in Russia). According to the military officer, one of the sites in Avdeyevka, which the unit occupies, "is fully surrounded by the enemy."

Kudryashov admitted that the brigade is forced to retreat under pressure from Russian forces. "In some cases, we see no need to hold certain positions in the city, withdrawing to more favorable spots," he added.

In recent days, Ukrainian military experts have been calling the situation in Avdeyevka critical, comparing it to Artyomovsk (Ukrainian name is Bakhmut), in the battles for which the Ukrainian armed forces suffered huge losses. This week, a representative of the 110th Independent Mechanized Brigade, which is stationed in the Avdeyevka area, admitted that the unit does not have the capabilities to keep occupying the settlement.

The speaker of the Ukrainian armed forces' operational-strategic grouping Tavriya, Dmitry Likhovoy, said yesterday that Ukrainian troops had been forced to switch to using a reserve supply line to Avdeyevka. On Friday, the Ukrainian General Staff informed about "maneuvers of troops in threatening directions" in the Avdeyevka area.