Ukraine’s 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade, named after General Horunzhy Marko Bezruchko and responsible for defending Avdiivka, confirmed that Russian forces executed wounded Ukrainian soldiers trapped at the Zenit plant despite promising evacuation and subsequent prisoner-of-war exchanges.
On the evening of 17 February, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi ordered the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Avdiivka, a position held since Russia’s renewed assault on the city in October 2023.
According to the brigade’s statement, the withdrawal of the 110th Brigade’s personnel from Avdiivka occurred under continuous bombardment by Russian aviation and artillery, constant attacks by FPV drones, attacks on evacuation vehicles, and shelling of evacuation routes. The brigade reported that several severely wounded and deceased servicemen could not be evacuated.
Due to the complete encirclement of the plant, a decision was made to contact the coordination center and organizations negotiating with the Russian side regarding the exchange of prisoners to assist the unarmed, severely wounded soldiers according to international rules of war and laws protecting prisoners of war.
As per the 110th Brigade, the Russian forces informed the coordinators of the process that they agreed to evacuate the wounded, provide assistance, and subsequently exchange them. The soldiers were ordered to preserve their lives.
In a video published by Russian pro-war Telegram blogger WarGonzo from the captured Zenit position, relatives identified Ukrainian defenders Heorhii Pavlov, Andrii Dubnytskyi, and Ivan Zhytnyk as deceased. According to the brigade’s information, the enemy also executed Oleksandr Zinchuk and Mykola Savosik. Information about the sixth soldier has not yet been confirmed, the Brigade said.
Read also:
- Tarnavskyi: Russian forces lost almost 50,000 soldiers in 4 months of fighting for Avdiivka
- Why Avdiivka fell to Russia
- Commander: Ukrainian troops withdrew from Avdiivka
