Russia-Ukraine war: 1,800 civilians remain in Avdiivka, says Kyiv

The local Ukrainian governor of the Donetsk region said there were still hundreds of civilians that are residing in the bombarded city of Avdiivka. This comes as Russian forces have sought to reduce the city to rubble in an attempt to capture the territory.

Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Monday that Russian forces had bombarded the key city and reduced its civilian population from 32,000 to 1,800. Kyrylenko said the city was hit by a Russian air strike that destroyed a multi-story building in Avdiivka. The city is one of the main targets of Russian forces during a winter offensive that Moscow hoped would empower its invasion of Ukraine that took place in February last year.

“The Russians have turned Avdiivka into total ruin,” said Kyrylenko. “Fortunately, there were no casualties as all the residents of the building evacuated in time. In total, around 1,800 people remain in Avdiivka, all of whom risk their lives every day.”

Separately, the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement that Russian forces are still mounting assaults around Avdiivka but are suffering from losses in manpower and equipment.

On the same day, the United States formally declared that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was “wrongfully detained” by Russia and renewed the calls for Moscow to release the journalist. The declaration comes 10 days after Russian authorities announced Gershkovich’s arrest on charges of spying. The Biden administration has dismissed the charges by Moscow as “ridiculous.”

With Washington’s formal declaration, it would provide an opportunity to use resources needed to secure Gershkovich’s release. This would also move Gershkovich’s case to the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, which leads the efforts to secure the release of American citizens who are wrongfully detained overseas and provide support to their families “and end the practice of hostage diplomacy.”

“Journalism is not a crime. We condemn the Kremlin’s continued repression of independent voices in Russia and its ongoing war against the truth,” said the US State Department in a statement.

The Wall Street Journal and other media advocacy groups have condemned Gershkovich’s detainment at a time when tensions between the US and Russia are at a high since the invasion.