The head of Ukraine's Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the information about a thousand Ukrainian prisoners of war during the withdrawal from Avdiivka is false. The number of soldiers who were captured is small, Budanov told reporters on the sidelines of the forum "Ukraine. Year 2024" forum, UNN reports.
"I just need to look at it, it's not a big number. There is a list. It's not thousands, and it's not hundreds," Budanov said, commenting on the information about the alleged capture of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers while leaving Avdiivka.
Recall
On February 17, military units of the Defense Forces withdrew from the city of Avdiivka, moving to pre-prepared defensive positions.
The New York Times estimates that up to a thousand Ukrainian soldiers may have been captured during the retreat from Avdiivka .