Ukraine: War rages for 4 months – Ukrainians leave Sheverodonetsk

LAST UPDATE: 09:54

Russian forces have reached the border town of Lisichansk in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, but have been repulsed by Ukrainian troops, the general staff said in Kyiv on Thursday.

“Our troops stopped the (Russian) attack in the direction of the southern suburbs of Lisichansk, inflicted casualties on the enemy and forced him to retreat,” said the Ukrainian generals, who said that Russian forces were mobilizing reserves to .

A Russian attack near the Borivske community east of the Donetsk River was also repulsed, according to the Ukrainian General Staff. It is the river that separates Lisichansk from the twin city of Severodonetsk.

The loss of the two cities would be a heavy blow to the Ukrainian side in the hostilities in the eastern part of the country. As the war turns four months old today, Moscow is slowly but steadily advancing into the region.

Earlier yesterday, the Ukrainian General Staff acknowledged that its forces were surrounded in the villages of Zolote and Hirske, south of Lisichansk.

In the direction of Severodonetsk, “the enemy captured the communities of Loskutivka and Rai-Olexandriva,” he said via Facebook.

The Ukrainian units have a 4 km wide tunnel to withdraw from the miners’ camp in Zolote. Some units were withdrawn “possibly to avoid a siege,” the Pentagon said via Twitter.

According to pro-Russian separatists, the village is already controlled by Russian troops.

According to Radion Mirosnik, a spokesman for the pro-Russian separatists in Moscow, Russian forces have already cut off the last road from Lisichansk to the west and at least 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers are now surrounded.

Fierce fighting is raging south of Severodonetsk, which has been largely occupied by the Russians.

According to the British Ministry of Defense, the advance of the Russian forces is attributed to “the recent strengthening of their units” and the “concentration of fire”.

It is “very likely” that they advanced more than 5 kilometers to the southern suburbs of Lisichansk, he added.

Always in London, despite pressure from Russian troops in the area around Severodonetsk and Lisichansk, attempts to encircle Ukrainian forces and occupy the western part of the Danieck region “remain stalled”.

The Ukrainians leave Sheverodonetsk

Ukrainian forces “must withdraw” from Sheverodonetsk, a city in eastern Ukraine most of which is controlled by the Russians, the provincial governor said today.

Some of the fiercest fighting since the Russian invasion of Ukraine has taken place in Severodonetsk, where street battles have been raging for a month, with Russia slowly but steadily gaining ground.

“It does not make sense to stay in positions that have been bombed for months just to stay there,” Luhansk provincial governor Serhiy Haydai told a television network. timetable for their departure from Sheverodonetsk.

“The Ukrainian armed forces must withdraw from Sheverodonetsk. They have received the order,” he told the Telegram.

According to Haidai, Sheverodonetsk “has almost been reduced to rubble” due to the constant bombing. “All the basic infrastructure has been destroyed. 90% of the city has been damaged, 80% of the houses will have to be demolished,” he added.

The battle for this city is crucial as Russia wants to occupy it in order to control the rest of Luhansk province. If Sheverodonetsk falls, only Lisichansk will remain in the hands of the Ukrainians.

The Luhansk region, along with Donetsk, is the Donbas valley that Russia and pro-Russian separatist insurgents in eastern Ukraine want to occupy.

“In many ways the fate of Donbass is decided there,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said recently, referring to Severodonetsk.

SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ