Russia takes control of Avdiivka after Ukrainian troops withdraw
Kyiv, Feb 18: Russian forces have taken complete control of the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, Russia's Defence Ministry has said.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told the Kremlin that Russian forces were now working to clear the final pockets of resistance at the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant, officials said in a statement. Videos on social media Saturday appeared to show soldiers raising the Russian flag over one of the plant's buildings.
The announcement came the same day that Ukraine's military chief said he was withdrawing troops from the city in eastern Ukraine where outnumbered defenders battled a Russian assault for four months.
The timing is critical as Russia is looking for a morale boost ahead of the second anniversary on February 24 of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the March presidential election in Russia.
In a short statement posted on Facebook, Ukrainian commander Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said he had made the decision to avoid encirclement and "preserve the lives and health of servicemen."
The commander-in-chief added that troops were moving to "more favourable lines."
"Our soldiers performed their military duty with dignity, did everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units, inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment.
"We are taking measures to stabilise the situation and maintain our positions," the statement read.
The withdrawal came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday made another trip to Western Europe, hoping to press his country's Western allies to keep providing military support.
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Woman in Himachal Pradesh bullies Kashmiri shawl sellers, video turns up on X
Shimla, Nov 25: A woman claiming to be a panchayat official was caught on camera warning two shawl sellers from Kashmir against trading their wares in Himachal Pradesh.
The 2.46-minute video that surfaced on social media showed the woman telling the two Kashmiris not to come to the village and asking them to say "Jai Shri Ram" to prove they are "Hindustani."
Sharing the video on X on Monday, National Convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, Nasir Khuehami, claimed that the video was from a village in Himachal's Hamirpur district.
"No one will purchase their products, buy from our Hindu people," the woman is seen telling others in the video. "Don't come in my area," she told shawl sellers.
Later in a post, Khuehami said that the chief minister's office had assured action against anyone found intimidating Kashmiris.
However, when contacted, the CM's media advisor Naresh Chauhan told the PTI that there was no such complaint. The matter would be looked into if any complaint is registered, he said.
A large number of Kashmiris come to the state to sell shawls and other products, while hundreds of Kashmiris labourers work in the state round the year.
It is highly condemnable that a woman, wife of a Sarpanch, is exhibiting communal behavior toward two Kashmiri men who traveled to Himachal Pradesh for business purposes. Her communal actions, as seen in the video, where she threatens them to leave the state, instructs villagers… pic.twitter.com/IIw2dkZPGt
— Nasir Khuehami (ناصر کہویہامی) (@NasirKhuehami) November 25, 2024
