Kyiv/MOSKAU (dpa-AFX) – Russian troops are still advancing in eastern Ukraine. After weeks of defensive fighting, the Ukrainian army announced on Sunday evening that it was withdrawing from the city of Lysychansk in the Luhansk region. The Russian occupying forces have multiple superiorities, the General Staff said in Kyiv. A further defense would therefore have “fatal consequences”. Russia had previously reported that it had taken the big city. The reports from the combat zones can hardly be checked independently.
Lysychansk was the last major bastion of the Ukrainians in the Luhansk region. Its conquest is one of the war aims named by Russia. In the last week of June, the Ukrainian military had already had to give up the city of Sievjerodonetsk, which is only separated from Lysychansk by a river. Before the war, around 380,000 people lived in the metropolitan area.
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation around Lysychansk as difficult and dangerous. Fighting continued near the city, he said on Sunday. The Ukrainian army is doing everything in its power. When asked whether Russia could completely conquer the Luhansk region, Zelenskyy said: “There are such risks that the Luhansk region will be occupied. We are aware of them. But you have to understand that the situation can change every day.”
Fighting also continued in other eastern Ukrainian regions. According to the mayor, six people were killed in the city of Sloviansk. The regional commander of the Kharkiv region reported three dead.
Ukraine: Russia used banned cluster munitions
According to Ukrainian sources, Russia is said to have used banned cluster munitions in rocket attacks on the city of Sloviansk in the east of the country. Mayor Wadym Lyakh spoke of many deaths and injuries as well as the “most severe attacks in recent times”, but did not give an exact number of victims. Civil areas were also hit. Cluster munitions are missiles and bombs that burst in mid-air over the target, releasing many small explosive devices. Their use is protected under international law.
Ukraine also accused Russia of dropping phosphorus bombs on Snake Island in the Black Sea, which has since been evacuated. Such bombs, which can cause severe burns and poisoning, are not explicitly prohibited. However, their use against civilians and in urban areas is prohibited. Moscow did not comment on these allegations.
Explosions in southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol
Fighting also continued in other parts of Ukraine over the weekend. The city of Melitopol in the south, occupied by Russian troops, was shaken by dozens of explosions on Sunday night. More than 30 shells were fired at one of the four Russian military bases in the city, Ukrainian Mayor Ivan Fyodorov said. The base was thus put out of action. The Russian military administration confirmed the attack. Several residential buildings were damaged by rocket launcher fire.
Governor: Three dead after explosions in Russian border town
Explosions in the Russian city of Belgorod near the border with Ukraine killed three people, according to the region’s governor. Four other people were injured, including a ten-year-old child. In addition, 50 houses were damaged. The causes of the incident are being investigated and the air defense system is expected to be activated.
Russia has repeatedly complained about attacks on its own territory. Kyiv generally does not comment on the allegations.
Scholz assures Ukraine of German support
In an online interview with ARD, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) once again assured Ukraine of German support “as long as it is necessary”. At the same time he affirmed: “An unconditional surrender is not acceptable, nor is a dictated peace as Putin imagines it.” Scholz told the US broadcaster CBS that Putin could continue the war for a very long time.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke out against urging Ukraine to start negotiations now. “We have to put Ukraine in a position where they have something to negotiate by making them strong before negotiations begin,” Steinmeier told ZDF. The Kremlin sees such statements as an attempt by the West to prolong the war.
That will be important on Monday
In view of the massive war damage, 40 potential donor countries want to come together for a reconstruction conference in Lugano, Switzerland. The government of President Volodymyr Zelenskyj wants to present its priorities. “It is necessary not only to repair everything that the occupiers destroyed, but also to create a new basis for our life – safe, modern, comfortable, barrier-free,” Zelenskyy said in a video message. A meeting between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris in the evening should also be about Ukraine./csd/DP/nas