A Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday that Ukrainian soldiers were entrenched at Avdiivka coke and chemical plant after leaving the town.

The new commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said via Facebook on Saturday that he had decided to withdraw Ukrainian units from Avdiivka in the Donetsk region and move to defense on more favorable lines "in order to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of servicemen."