Photos: Avdeyevka After Fierce Fighting for Liberation

On February 17, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin that Avdeyevka was fully under the control of Russian troops. The president congratulated the military on the success, as the liberation of Avdeyevka made it possible to move the front line away from Donetsk and significantly secure the city from terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime.

Avdeyevka is a northern suburb of Donetsk and has been contested since the beginning of the special military operation. Ukrainian forces have regularly shelled the capital of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and other populated areas of Donbass from there.

Take a look at Avdeyevka following its liberation from Ukrainian forces in Sputnik's gallery:

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Russian military equipment in Avdeyevka, Donetsk People's Republic.

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Soldiers from engineering units of Battlegroup Tsentr have begun demining streets and buildings in Avdeyevka.

CC BY 4.0 / Russian Defence Ministry / Avdiivka (cropped image)

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The quality of the minefields that the Ukrainian forces put up when fleeing from Avdeyevka turned out to be low, since they mined the city in a hurry, the commander of a Russian engineering platoon with the call sign "Usman" told Sputnik.

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Damaged equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Avdeyevka.

After the establishment of Russian control over Avdeyevka, some US members of Congress will point to the "hopelessness" and "waste of money" of providing new financial and military support to Ukraine, international experts claim.

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Ukrainian forces desperately fled from Avdeyevka, Russian Defense Ministry reported.

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A view of damaged houses in Avdeyevka, Donetsk People's Republic.

Donetsk residents had been waiting for the liberation of Avdeyevka for more than nine years. Their houses were constantly shelled from Avdeyevka by Ukrainian nationalist battalions, DPR Senator Alexander Voloshin said.

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View of a damaged church in Avdeyevka, Donetsk People's Republic.

A lot of war crimes have been recorded against the civilian population of Avdeyevka by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, DPR head Denis Pushilin said.

He clarified that part of the civilian population remains in the city, and that the Russian military is taking local residents to temporary accommodation facilities and providing all necessary assistance.

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A multistory building burns in Avdeyevka.

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View of damaged buildings in Avdeyevka.

News about the retreat of Ukrainian troops from Avdeyevka stole the headlines many Western media outlets. They regarded the city as a key point, calling the defeat of Kiev a disaster with far-reaching consequences.