![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaAvdiivka: Ukraine troops leaving embattled eastern townPublished20 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsWar in UkraineImage source, RL/SERHII NUZHNENKO/ReutersImage caption, Avdiivka has been almost completely destroyed during months of fierce fightingBy Jaroslav LukivBBC NewsUkraine’s military says it is withdrawing its troops from Avdiivka – the key eastern town besieged by Russian forces.Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said he acted “to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of service personnel”.He added that the troops were being moved to “more favourable lines”.Avdiivka – a gateway to the Russian-seized city of Donetsk – has been engulfed in fierce fighting for months.The town – which has been almost completely destroyed – has been on the front line since 2014, when Russian-backed fighters seized large swathes of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.The fall of Avdiivka marks the biggest change on the more than 1,000km-long (620-mile) front line since Russian troops seized the nearby town of Bakhmut in May 2023.Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.Ukraine battles frostbite and shell shortage in ruined town Nothing but rubble: Ukraine’s shattered ghost town AvdiivkaIn a statement on Facebook early on Saturday, Gen Col Syrskyi said his decision was based on “the operational situation around Avdiivka”.”Our soldiers performed their military duty with dignity, did everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units, inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment.”Gen Syrskyi – who was only appointed as the country’s top commander a few days ago – said Ukrainian troops were “taking measures to stabilise the situation and maintain our positions.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, “I will die here”: Evacuation “angels” help front-line town’s last residents fleeUS National Security Council spokesman John Kirby had earlier warned that Avdiivka was “at risk of falling into Russian control”.He said this was largely “because the Ukrainian forces on the ground are running out of artillery ammunition”.”Russia is sending wave after wave of conscript forces to attack Ukrainian positions,” he said. “And because Congress has yet to pass the supplemental bill, we have not been able to provide Ukraine with the artillery shells that they desperately need to disrupt these Russian assaults.”Earlier this week, the US Senate approved a $95bn (£75bn) foreign aid package – including $60bn for Ukraine – after months of political wrangling, but it faces an uphill battle in the House of Representatives.Ukraine is critically dependent on weapons supplies from the US and other Western allies to keep fighting Russia – a much bigger military force with an abundance of artillery ammunition.Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Thursday that the US failure to approve continued military assistance to Ukraine was already having an impact on the battlefield.Russian troops have been making significant gains in Avdiivka recently, threatening to encircle it.Some Ukrainian soldiers privately admitted the town could fall at any moment.”We’re upset,” Ukrainian officer Oleksii, from Ukraine’s 110th Mechanised Brigade in the Avdiivka area, told the BBC earlier this week, standing beside a huge mobile artillery piece as Russian guns boomed in the distance.”Currently we have two shells, but we have no [explosive] charges for them… so we can’t fire them. As of now, we have run out of shells,” said Oleksii. Related TopicsWar in UkraineRussiaUkraineMore on this storyUkraine battles frostbite and shell shortage in ruined townPublished1 day agoNothing but rubble: Ukraine’s shattered ghost town AvdiivkaPublished30 JanuaryFull cemeteries and empty homes: Ukrainians struggle to endurePublished2 days agoThe Ukrainians ‘disappearing’ in Russia’s prisonsPublished7 days agoTop StoriesLive. ‘Putin is responsible’ – Biden speaks out after report of Navalny’s deathNavalny was often asked: ‘Do you fear for your life?’Published6 hours agoTrump ordered to pay $354m in New York fraud casePublished11 hours agoFeaturesThe Papers: Putin ‘must pay for Navalny’ and Harry reaches outAlexei Navalny: What we know about reports of his deathArrested and poisoned: See Navalny’s moments of defiance. VideoArrested and poisoned: See Navalny’s moments of defianceChris Mason: Tory gloom deepens after double poll blowTwo by-elections, two Labour wins… in two minutes. VideoTwo by-elections, two Labour wins… in two minutesWeekly quiz: Who could join Sinéad in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?Methane mega-leak exposed in KazakhstanTrump must pay $354m. How could he do it?Is Russia about to win another victory in Ukraine?Elsewhere on the BBCHair-pulling, wrestling and kicking!Watch the moment a violent brawl unfolded in the Maldives ParliamentAttributioniPlayer’No one was treating me seriously’The woman who went for viral for claiming to be Madeleine McCann explains her motivesAttributionSoundsTime-travelling back to 1984 through the BBC archivesHits from Wham!, U2, Madonna, Lionel Richie and moreAttributioniPlayerThe Swedish furniture king’s billionaire lifestyleDeconstructing IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad and his eccentric way of livingAttributionSoundsMost Read1Ukraine troops pull out of key eastern town Avdiivka2Satellite images show construction on Egypt-Gaza border3Starmer paid nearly £100,000 in tax last year4Putin ‘must pay for Navalny’ and Harry reaches out5Six-time Olympic champion Hoy reveals cancer diagnosisAttributionSport6Two teenagers charged over Super Bowl parade shooting7Sarah Snook ‘unmissable’ in West End, critics say8Amy Schumer hits back at comments about her face9Tory gloom deepens after double poll blow10King’s cancer may bring family closer, says Harry](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/1164F/production/_132674217_36b3cae6411dbca4df4cd42566d67a19fbac75ab-1.jpg)
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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaAvdiivka: Ukraine troops leaving embattled eastern townPublished20 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsWar in UkraineImage source, RL/SERHII NUZHNENKO/ReutersImage caption, Avdiivka has been almost completely destroyed during months of fierce fightingBy Jaroslav LukivBBC NewsUkraine’s military says it is withdrawing its troops from Avdiivka – the key eastern town besieged by Russian forces.Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said he acted “to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of service personnel”.He added that the troops were being moved to “more favourable lines”.Avdiivka – a gateway to the Russian-seized city of Donetsk – has been engulfed in fierce fighting for months.The town – which has been almost completely destroyed – has been on the front line since 2014, when Russian-backed fighters seized large swathes of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.The fall of Avdiivka marks the biggest change on the more than 1,000km-long (620-mile) front line since Russian troops seized the nearby town of Bakhmut in May 2023.Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.Ukraine battles frostbite and shell shortage in ruined town Nothing but rubble: Ukraine’s shattered ghost town AvdiivkaIn a statement on Facebook early on Saturday, Gen Col Syrskyi said his decision was based on “the operational situation around Avdiivka”.”Our soldiers performed their military duty with dignity, did everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units, inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment.”Gen Syrskyi – who was only appointed as the country’s top commander a few days ago – said Ukrainian troops were “taking measures to stabilise the situation and maintain our positions.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, “I will die here”: Evacuation “angels” help front-line town’s last residents fleeUS National Security Council spokesman John Kirby had earlier warned that Avdiivka was “at risk of falling into Russian control”.He said this was largely “because the Ukrainian forces on the ground are running out of artillery ammunition”.”Russia is sending wave after wave of conscript forces to attack Ukrainian positions,” he said. “And because Congress has yet to pass the supplemental bill, we have not been able to provide Ukraine with the artillery shells that they desperately need to disrupt these Russian assaults.”Earlier this week, the US Senate approved a $95bn (£75bn) foreign aid package – including $60bn for Ukraine – after months of political wrangling, but it faces an uphill battle in the House of Representatives.Ukraine is critically dependent on weapons supplies from the US and other Western allies to keep fighting Russia – a much bigger military force with an abundance of artillery ammunition.Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Thursday that the US failure to approve continued military assistance to Ukraine was already having an impact on the battlefield.Russian troops have been making significant gains in Avdiivka recently, threatening to encircle it.Some Ukrainian soldiers privately admitted the town could fall at any moment.”We’re upset,” Ukrainian officer Oleksii, from Ukraine’s 110th Mechanised Brigade in the Avdiivka area, told the BBC earlier this week, standing beside a huge mobile artillery piece as Russian guns boomed in the distance.”Currently we have two shells, but we have no [explosive] charges for them… so we can’t fire them. As of now, we have run out of shells,” said Oleksii. Related TopicsWar in UkraineRussiaUkraineMore on this storyUkraine battles frostbite and shell shortage in ruined townPublished1 day agoNothing but rubble: Ukraine’s shattered ghost town AvdiivkaPublished30 JanuaryFull cemeteries and empty homes: Ukrainians struggle to endurePublished2 days agoThe Ukrainians ‘disappearing’ in Russia’s prisonsPublished7 days agoTop StoriesLive. ‘Putin is responsible’ – Biden speaks out after report of Navalny’s deathNavalny was often asked: ‘Do you fear for your life?’Published6 hours agoTrump ordered to pay $354m in New York fraud casePublished11 hours agoFeaturesThe Papers: Putin ‘must pay for Navalny’ and Harry reaches outAlexei Navalny: What we know about reports of his deathArrested and poisoned: See Navalny’s moments of defiance. VideoArrested and poisoned: See Navalny’s moments of defianceChris Mason: Tory gloom deepens after double poll blowTwo by-elections, two Labour wins… in two minutes. 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[ad_1] Ukraine’s top commander says he has acted to avoid encirclement by Russian forces in the town of Avdiivka.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaUkraine Russia war: US warns Avdiivka could fallPublished3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsWar in UkraineThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, “I will die here”: Evacuation “angels” help front-line town’s last residents fleeBy Jaroslav LukivBBC NewsThe US has warned that Russia could seize Ukraine’s key eastern town of Avdiivka – the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in recent months. “Avdiivka is at risk of falling into Russian control,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, citing Ukraine’s ammunition shortages. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to do everything to “save as many Ukrainian lives as possible”.Russian troops have made gains in Avdiivka, threatening to encircle it.The town – which has been almost completely destroyed – is seen as a gateway to nearby Donetsk, the regional Ukrainian capital seized by Russian-backed fighters in 2014 and later illegitimately annexed by Moscow.Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.Ukraine battles frostbite and shell shortage in ruined town Nothing but rubble: Ukraine’s shattered ghost town AvdiivkaAt Thursday’s briefing in Washington, Mr Kirby said Avdiivka could fall largely “because the Ukrainian forces on the ground are running out of artillery ammunition”.”Russia is sending wave after wave of conscript forces to attack Ukrainian positions,” he said. “And because Congress has yet to pass the supplemental bill, we have not been able to provide Ukraine with the artillery shells that they desperately need to disrupt these Russian assaults.”Russian forces are now reaching Ukrainian trenches in Avdiivka, and they’re beginning to overwhelm Ukrainian defences.”Earlier this week, the US Senate approved a $95bn (£75bn) foreign aid package – including $60bn for Ukraine – after months of political wrangling, but it faces an uphill battle in the House of Representatives.Ukraine is critically dependent on weapons supplies from the US and other Western allies to be able to continue fighting Russia – a much bigger military force with an abundance of artillery ammunition.Nato Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg warned on Thursday that the US failure to approve continued military assistance to Ukraine was already having an impact on the battlefield.Image source, ReutersImage caption, Smoke rises over an industrial site in Avdiivka on ThursdayIn his video address late on Thursday, President Zelensky said: “We are doing everything we can to ensure that our warriors have enough managerial and technological capabilities to save as many Ukrainian lives as possible.”On Friday, Mr Zelensky is visiting Berlin and Paris where is expected to sign security pacts with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.A similar agreement on security co-operation was signed between Ukraine and the UK in January.Late on Thursday, Ukrainian General Oleksandr Tarnavsky admitted that “fierce battles” were taking place “within” Avdiivka.”We value every piece of Ukrainian land, but the highest value and priority for us is the preservation of the life of a Ukrainian soldier,” he said.Earlier in the day, Ukraine’s military spokesman Dmytro Lykhoviy acknowledged that Ukrainian troops in Avdiivka were being forced to “sometimes move to more advantageous positions… in some places leaving positions”.Some Ukrainian soldiers have privately admitted the town could fall at any moment.”We’re upset,” Ukrainian officer Oleksii, from Ukraine’s 110th Mechanised Brigade in the Avdiivka area, told the BBC earlier this week, standing beside a huge mobile artillery piece as Russian guns boomed in the distance.”Currently we have two shells, but we have no [explosive] charges for them… so we can’t fire them. As of now, we have run out of shells,” said Oleksii. He suggested that the shortages were widespread and having a dramatic impact on the fighting in Avdiivka.”We feel a very strong responsibility for our guys fighting right now in the town, armed only with assault rifles.”Ukraine’s newly appointed commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, visited the frontline in the Avdiivka area this week, acknowledging that the situation there was “difficult”.He said the Russian military did not “count losses”, using its troops as cannon fodder.Kyiv says an elite Ukrainian brigade has now been sent to Avdiivka and reserve artillery has been deployed.In unverified reports, Russian military bloggers said on Thursday that a key Ukrainian defence position in southern Avdiivka – known as Zenit – was now under Moscow’s control.Related TopicsWar in UkraineRussiaUkraineMore on this storyUkraine battles frostbite and shell shortage in ruined townPublished15 hours agoNothing but rubble: Ukraine’s shattered ghost town AvdiivkaPublished30 JanuaryFull cemeteries and empty homes: Ukrainians struggle to endurePublished1 day agoThe Ukrainians ‘disappearing’ in Russia’s prisonsPublished6 days agoTop StoriesLive. 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![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaBurkina Faso outcry over ‘conscription used to punish junta critics’Published5 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsSahel Islamist insurgencyImage source, Arouna LouréBy Khadidiatou CisséBBC NewsIn what was widely seen as punishment for his strident criticism of Burkina Faso’s military rulers, anaesthetist Arouna Louré was forced to go to the front lines of the battle against jihadists wreaking havoc in the West African state. Dr Louré said he was with patients in the operating theatre at the hospital where he worked in the capital, Ouagadougou, when armed soldiers suddenly burst through the door.”They made me understand they could make me leave using the gentle or the violent method,” the 38-year-old said. “Another doctor replaced me [in the theatre] and then we left,” Dr Louré added. He was bundled into a van by the soldiers and transported to a military training camp hundreds of miles away. He is one of many men who have been forced to join the so-called Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDP). Envisaged to be made up of 50,000 recruits, it was set up by Captain Ibrahim Traore’s junta to bolster the army’s efforts to regain territory from jihadists who, according to the US Department of Defense’s Africa Center for Strategic Studies, have “moved to encircle Ouagadougou leaving a trail of unprecedented violence in their wake”. This is despite the fact that when Capt Traoré seized power in September 2022 after overthrowing another military ruler, he pledged to improve the security situation within “two to three months” and restore civilian rule by July 2024.But Capt Traoré – who is the youngest ruler of an African state – has rowed back on his promise, saying elections are not “a priority” until territory is recaptured from the jihadists so that everyone can vote. “There won’t be an election that is only concentrated in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso and other nearby towns,” he said in November, referring to two cities that have largely been spared the violence unleashed by jihadists.Capt Traoré has also defended conscription, saying that “individual freedoms [are] not superior to national freedom” and added that “a nation is not built on indiscipline and disorder”.He has also pivoted Burkina Faso towards Russia, ending its close ties with former colonial power France.The junta has expelled French diplomats and has shut France’s military base in the country.At the same time, Russia has reopened its embassy in Burkina Faso after it was shut more than 30 years ago, and is also helping its army to strengthen its capabilities Last week, Capt Traoré said that Russian troops would join the fight against the jihadists, if required, with unconfirmed reports suggesting that about 100 Russian troops had already arrived in the country.
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Arouna LouréIn this country, we are no longer free to say what we think”Arouna LouréAnaesthetistDr Louré’s recruitment into the VDP came last September, about five months after the junta passed a decree, giving it sweeping powers to conscript anyone above the age of 18 to fight the jihadists. The anaesthetist believes he was targeted because he was a vocal critic of the military rulers on social media, describing them as “constitutional deserters” as they left the front lines and were sending civilians instead. “In this country, we are no longer free to say what we think,” he told the BBC.Dr Louré’s concerns were echoed by lobby group Human Rights Watch (HRW), which said in a report in November that the junta was using it to “expand its crackdown on dissent”. “The Burkinabé authorities are waging a legitimate war but responding to abuse with abuse is not the solution,” senior HRW researcher Ilaria Allegrozzi said.The junta’s spokesperson and the minister of justice did not respond to BBC requests for comment.HRW and other rights groups say that Dr Louré’s case is not isolated – at least a dozen activists, journalists and opposition leaders have been conscripted. They include pharmacist Daouda Diallo, who formed a rights group in 2019 to document abuses by all sides in the conflict in Burkina Faso. His family and lawyers believe he was abducted by security agents on 1 December as he left the passport office in Ouagadougou. A few days later, an image shared on social media showed him in the back of an army truck wearing a military uniform.Amnesty International has taken up his plight, calling for his “safe return to civilian life and to end the use of conscription as a tool to silence dissent”. Conscription has caused huge trauma for families. One woman said that her husband – an investigative journalist – fled the country, shortly before his call-up papers arrived.”It’s like we’re not living anymore,” said the woman, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals. She added that she still feared for the safety of her husband even though the entire family was now living elsewhere in the region.Dr Louré said he received minimal combat training before being deployed to three areas – including Koumbri, one of the most dangerous hot spots in the country’s North region.At least 17 soldiers and 36 army volunteers were reportedly killed in a battle in Koumbri on 5 September, only two days before he received his call-up orders via an official letter from the army.Image source, AFPImage caption, The military has struggled to deal with the jihadist insurgency that spilled over from neighbouring Mali in 2015Dr Louré told the BBC that fortunately he was not involved in any fighting during his 94-day deployment. Instead, he treated soldiers who showed symptoms of illnesses such as malaria. “My presence would have been more useful in a hospital than on the front line,” he said.”In reality, I became a liability. I could have held my weapon incorrectly or fatally shot a civilian or a soldier,” he added. A civil society group challenged the conscription of some of its members in court after they received call-up papers shortly after announcing plans to hold a demonstration against the restriction of freedoms. One of their lawyers, Guy Hervé Kam, said the court ruled that their conscription was illegal.”We were able to demonstrate that this deployment was unnecessary and served as a punishment,” Mr Kam said. Image source, ReutersImage caption, Coup leader Capt Traoré, seen here waving, says elections will not be held until territory is recaptured from the militantsHowever, the junta has appealed against the ruling. Dr Louré, who is back home with his family, said he did not see a way out for anyone who received a call-up.”The goal is to humiliate. If you obey, they take a photo of you and post it on social media to humiliate you. If you flee the country, they’ll call you a coward. And if you sue the state, people will say that you are a coward too,” he added.Despite his experience, Dr Louré remains active on social media and is optimistic about Burkina Faso’s future. “What we deplore is the overall strategy of the government, corruption, illicit enrichment and nepotism. That doesn’t happen at the front, but rather in Ouagadougou.”This crisis is an opportunity for us to understand the cost of our disagreements and I am sure that we will be able to bounce back as a country,” he said. More on Burkina Faso:A quick guide to Burkina FasoWhy young Africans are celebrating military takeoversDid coups in Mali and Burkina Faso halt jihadist attacks?Related TopicsBurkina FasoSahel Islamist insurgencyBurkina Faso coup 2022Around the BBCFocus on Africa podcastsTop StoriesLive. 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