Ukraine had secret torture and burial places in the city of Avdeyevka as per preliminary information, Russian Foreign Ministry special envoy Rodion Miroshnik told Sputnik on Tuesday.
According to the head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, many war crimes against the civilian population of Avdeyevka by the Ukrainian armed forces have been recorded.
"We do not exclude the possibility that we will receive information about secret prisons, secret burials and the consequences of torture, about which we have preliminary information. Therefore, this work will now be launched," Miroshnik said.
Kiev held residents of Avdeyevka in custody for political reasons, according to preliminary information, the diplomat said, adding that in order to accurately establish these places and obtain documentary evidence, it is now necessary to work with people who are leaving the city.
The work is being carried out with the residents of liberated Avdeyevka to collect information about Kiev's crimes, he added.
Up to 1,000 Ukrainian Troops Believed to Be Captured in Retreat From Avdeyevka - Reports
Between 850 and 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers appear to have been captured or are unaccounted for during the Ukrainian retreat from Avdeyevka, a former Ukrainian stronghold north of the city of Donetsk, The New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing two Ukrainian soldiers.
The newspaper cited senior Western officials and soldiers fighting in Ukraine as saying that the retreat of Ukrainian troops from Avdeyevka is a devastating loss that could deal a blow to already weakening morale and may be more significant than it initially seemed.
The report also cited officials as saying that the Ukrainian withdrawal was ill-planned and began too late, but American officials told the newspaper that the loss of Avdeyevka was not a significant strategic setback.
However, the report said, American officials believe that morale among Ukrainian soldiers was already eroding against the background of a failed counteroffensive in 2023 and the removal of Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, which may further complicate Kiev's efforts to recruit soldiers.
On Saturday, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced the decision to withdraw troops from Avdeyevka, a northern suburb of Donetsk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the decision to pull out the troops had been made to "save people's lives." Later, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian military had taken full control of the city of Avdeyevka.
Only West Can Undermine Zelensky, Not Loss of Avdeyevka - Ukrainian Opposition Politician
The fact that Russian military took control of Avdeyevka cannot undermine the position of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, only Western countries can do this, Ukrainian opposition politician Viktor Medvedchuk told Sputnik.
On February 17, Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukrainian commander-in-chief, announced the decision to withdraw units from the city of Avdeyevka. The Russian Defense Ministry, in turn, said that the Russian military had taken full control of the city.
"Only the Western masters, who exercise leadership over him, can undermine Zelensky’s position in this regard. Because any other actions, any independence or slack in carrying out some elements of state policy are unrealistic without the permission of external government," Medvedchuk said, commenting on Ukraine's withdrawal from Avdeyevk
Medvedchuk also told Sputnik that the Ukrainian economy can be restored only in cooperation with Russia. "To restore the level of welfare, the income level of the people, we proceeded from the fact that it is necessary to restore economic and trade relations, first of all, with Russia and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries," he noted.
Medvedchuk added that it is "necessary to restore the realization of our exports, it is necessary to increase production and industrial capacities."
"But it can be done only in cooperation with Russia. Because our economy as part of the cycle of the overall industrial potential of the Soviet Union has always been tied to Russia and other countries, other republics of the Soviet Union, but not to Europe," he added.
Between November 2013 and February 2014, Kiev's Maidan Square witnessed pro-EU protests, sparked by the then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's refusal to sign the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement. The mass demonstrations led to a coup that culminated in Yanukovych's ouster. More than 100 people were killed in the violent events.
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