The Ukrainian army announced on Sunday that its soldiers had withdrawn from Lysytchansk, a key city in eastern Ukraine facing a heavy onslaught by Russian troops for weeks.
“In order to preserve the lives of Ukrainian defenders, the decision was taken to withdraw” from the city, the Ukrainian armed forces general staff said in a statement.
“Under the conditions of multiple superiority of Russian troops in artillery, air force, missile launching systems, ammunition and personnel, continuing the defense of the city would have had fatal consequences,” the statement added.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday morning the conquest of Lysytchansk, which allows Russia to control the entire Ukrainian region of Lugansk.
The capture of Lysytchansk allows Moscow to progress in its plan to conquer all of Donbass, an industrial region in eastern Ukraine partly controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014, and to advance towards Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, two major cities further west hit Sunday by rocket fire.
“Impossible to say that Lysytchansk is under Russian control”, according to Zelensky
“It is” impossible to say that Lyssytchansk is under Russian control, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday, assuring that the fighting continued on the outskirts of this city whose capture was claimed earlier by Moscow.
“There is fighting in the suburbs” of this city, under pressure from Russian troops for several weeks, he added during a press conference in kyiv with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Taking Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine would allow Moscow to control the entire Lugansk region and Russian troops to threaten Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, two major cities in the Ukrainian-controlled Donbass industrial region.
“There are risks that the Lugansk region will be completely occupied. There are risks and we understand that,” Zelensky added, saying Lysychansk represents “the most difficult and dangerous situation” for the EU. Ukraine.
“We don’t have the advantage there, it’s true. It’s our weak point but in other points, we are moving forward,” he said.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Sunday that Kremlin forces controlled the entire Lugansk region after conquering Lysytchansk, which has been in the midst of intense fighting for weeks.