KYIV -- Russian forces appear to be consolidating their gains in and around the captured eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiyivka following Ukraine’s withdrawal, while Kyiv accused the Kremlin's troops of shooting eight prisoners of war, posting a video shot from the air purporting to show one incident.
Dmytro Lykhoviy, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military in the Donetsk region, on February 18 said Russian troops had launched strikes west of Avdiyivka as they seek to capture more territory from Ukrainian forces reportedly suffering from ammunition shortages that allowed the Kremlin to claim its first major victory in more than a year.
Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy, commander in chief of Ukraine's armed forces, a day earlier announced the withdrawal of Ukrainian units from Avdiyivka, saying it was done "to avoid encirclement and preserve the life and health of servicemen" amid calls from Kyiv to Western parnters for more ammunition.
SEE ALSO: Zelenskiy Urges West To Step Up Weapons Deliveries In Face Of Avdiyivka Pullout"The enemy is trying to actively develop its offensive," Lykhoviy told Ukrainian TV on February 18. "But our considerable forces are entrenched there."
Ukraine's military said it had repelled 14 Russian assaults on a village about 2 kilometers north of Avdiyivka.
Russian President Vladimir Putin -- seeking to claim a major victory as the February 24 anniversary of the 2022 invasion approaches -- on February 17 congratulated troops on the capture of Avdiyivka, calling it an "important victory."
Meanwhile, Ukraine's army accused Russian forces of shooting eight prisoners of war in Avdiyivka and the nearby village of Vesele.
A grainy video showed what officials said were two Ukrainian soldiers in a Russian trench being grabbed by what they said was a Russian soldier, who appears to shoot them several times at close range.
The authenticity of the video could not be verified, nor was the location known.
Ukrainian authorities said they had opened a war crimes investigation after reports of the shooting emerged.
"An investigation into the shootings of unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war in Avdiyivka and Vesele has been launched," the Donetsk region prosecutor's office said on Telegram.
Earlier, Ukrainian officials said at least three people were killed in Russian drone and missile strikes in eastern Ukraine over the past 24 hours, adding that Ukrainian troops repelled a Russian offensive in the southern front.
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Two bodies have been recovered from the rubble of a residential building in the city of Kramatorsk that was struck by a missile overnight, said Vadym Filashkin, the military governor of the Donetsk region. The search-and-rescue operation continued at the site, he wrote on Telegram.
At least one person was killed, and five wounded in an attack on a two-story apartment building in the neighboring Kharkiv region, according to Oleh Synyehubov, the head of the provincial military administration.
Eighty-two combat clashes took place between the invading Russian Army and Ukrainian troops over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian military reported on its daily update.
Ukrainian forces "defeated yesterday's Russian offensive in the Zaporizhzhya sector," destroying 18 armored vehicles and forcing Russian troops to retreat "to their previous positions," the bulletin said.
The Russian military launched 13 missile and 104 air strikes, and carried out 169 attacks from rocket salvo systems over the past day, targeting the positions of Ukrainian troops as well as residential areas, it said.
Russia also launched 14 Shahed combat drones, 12 of which were destroyed before reaching their target. A missile was also intercepted, and a Russian fighter jet was shot down, Ukraine's air force said.
The attacks caused extensive damage both to private buildings and industrial facilities. A school was in ruins in the city of Slovyansk, and volunteers were searching the site for possible victims and trapped people there, officials said.
There were no immediate comments from Russian authorities.