KIEV: The military in Kiev announced that Ukrainian forces have left their positions in Lysychansk after the Russians captured the crucial eastern city in the separatist Luhansk region.
Late Sunday night, the General Staff posted on social media that the Ukrainian armed forces had been forced to retreat from their held positions and lines following "hard fighting for Lysychansk."
The repercussions of continuing the defence of the city would have been disastrous given the enormous advantage of the Russian occupying troops in terms of artillery, planes, numerous rocket launchers, ammunition, and people. The choice was made to leave in order to protect the lives of Ukrainian defenders. Following the Russian forces' seizure of Severodonetsk on June 25, Lysychansk fell a week later.
With the conquest of these two cities, Russia now has a significant amount of authority over the neighbouring Donetsk area and the two Russian-backed rebel territories that form the industrial Donbas.
President Volodymyr Zelenksy emphasised in his video message to the nation on Sunday night that Ukrainian forces would return to Lysychansk "due to our methods, owing to the increasing supply of modern weapons," according to Ukrayinska Pravda. "Ukraine is conceding nothing," he said.
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