Inside What Remains Of Russian-Occupied Avdiyivka

Russian soldiers approach a ruined apartment block in Avdiyivka, in Ukraine's Donetsk region. 

This February 22 photo is one of the first images to emerge from the city since its capture by Russian forces. 

Ruined apartment blocks in Avdiyivka pictured on February 22. 

After a massively costly Russian offensive, Ukraine's military announced its withdrawal from the city "to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of service personnel" on February 17. 

St. Mary Magdalene’s Church, at the southwestern corner of Avdiyivka, is seen on February 18, as Russian troops moved in to occupy the city. 

An archival photo of St. Mary Magdalene’s Church (right) while still under construction in June 2007. 

Avdiyivka was home to around 31,000 people in early 2022 despite being near the front lines of the yearslong conflict between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces that preceded the full-scale Russian invasion. 

A resident walks through a suburb of Avdiyivka in front of Russian troops on February 19. 

As Russian forces closed in on Avdiyivka in February, scores of the remaining residents fled. It is unclear how many remained.
 

A soldier wearing the badge of the "Pyatnashka" international brigade, a fighting unit founded by ethnic Abkhaz, walks inside St. Michael's Church in Avdiyivka. 

 

Another member of the the Pyatnashka Brigade in Avdiyivka is photographed by a TASS photographer on February 19. The Abkhaz flag can be seen on the fighter's arm badge. 

The Abkhaz fighting unit has been accused of war crimes by Kyiv, including the alleged torture of captive Ukrainian soldiers. 

A Russian soldier drives on the outskirts of Avdiyivka on February 22. 

Much of Ukraine's defense of Avdiyivka was achieved with first-person-view (FPV) kamikaze drones. The FPV drones devastated Russian armor, with more than 100 Russian vehicles destroyed within less than two weeks around Avdiyivka in October 2023.  

Russian fighters walk through a devastated suburb of Avdiyivka on February 22. 

Despite their effectiveness when in operation, FPV drones are unable to fly in heavy rain and can be severely hampered by fog, wind, and low light. 

A Ukrainian serviceman emerges from a hideout near Avdiyivka on February 20 to launch a drone. 

Ukraine's military pulled back to prepared defensive lines after February 17 and is still within drone range of the captured city. 



 

Ukrainian soldiers patrol near Avdiyivka on February 20. 

The strategic importance of Avdiyivka's capture by Russian forces is disputed by analysts. Some Western analysts believe the town's capture will significantly help Russia's offensive logistics and limit Ukraine's shelling of the city of Donetsk a few kilometers to the south.

Avdiyivka's damaged coke plant photographed on February 20 by a drone flown from a Ukrainian position. 

The Institute for the Study of War predicted Avdiyivka's capture would mean only "immediate informational and political victories" for the Kremlin and no significant operational breakthrough. "Ukrainian forces have long fortified many of the surrounding settlements, which Russian forces are also struggling to capture," the think tank posted on February 15.