The strategically located city of Lysychansk, in eastern Ukraine, is “completely” surrounded. That is what pro-Russian separatists say on Saturday, the Russian state news agency Tass reported. It is the last major city in the eastern Luhansk region still under Ukrainian control. Later, pro-Russian separatists reported that they, along with Russian soldiers, had taken control of the city’s town hall.
“Today, Luhansk’s militia and Russian forces have taken the last strategic spots, allowing us to confirm that Lysychansk is completely surrounded,” a spokesman for the separatists said, according to the state news agency.
Quoted by Tass, authorities of the self-declared “People’s Republic” Luhansk say fighters from the renegade region of Lysychank have marched into Shakter Stadium near the city center.
Kiev denies that the city is completely surrounded, adding that heavy fighting is raging.
The separatists later told the Russian news agency Interfax that they – together with Russian soldiers – got the city’s town hall under control. Similar reports also came from the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti and from the president of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramsan Kadirov. There is no official statement from the Russian Defense Ministry yet.
Fired by Russian artillery
Lysychansk is regularly bombarded by Russian artillery and according to pro-Russian separatists there is already fighting in the streets of the city. That has not been confirmed by Ukraine or independent observers.
If the separatists capture the city, the Russians can advance further into the Donbas region. Because the Russians failed to take the Ukrainian capital Kiev, the offensive is now mainly aimed at this region.
Russia recently captured the city of Shevyerodonetsk, a city east of Lysychansk. There has been heavy fighting in the streets for weeks.
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