On February 17 the Russian Armed Forces captured the strategically located town of Avdiivka in the disputed Donbas region, inflicting extreme casualties on Ukrainian forces in the area which reportedly peaked at approximately 1,500 daily. Drone footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry a day after the retreat began showed ground forces fleeting the town, with large numbers of Ukrainian Army soldiers withdrawing on foot leaving behind significant quantities of heavy equipment. This pullout notable began a day before forces actually received orders to do so, raising speculation that the order to withdraw may have been given to cover for the fact that forces had simply retreated on their own initiative.

