Russian troops have entered the strategically located city of Lysychank. This is reported by the Ukrainian General Staff. “In the Donetsk region, the occupiers are concentrating on consolidating their positions in the cities of Lysychank and Verkhnyokamyanka,” it said on Sunday. Ukraine previously insisted that the last major city in the eastern region of Luhansk had not yet been taken.
Sergei Gayday, the governor of Luhansk, also reports via Telegram that the Russians are advancing and “have gained a foothold in the Lysychank district”. It is not clear whether there are also Ukrainian soldiers in the city.
The pro-Russian separatists already said on Saturday that they had completely surrounded Lysychank, but Kiev denied those reports. Lysychank was the last major city under Ukrainian control in Luhansk after the fall of Severodonetsk.
Russian flag
Russian media shows images of separatists or Russian troops parading through the streets of Lysychansk. Also, a video is being circulated via Twitter by Russian sources showing a Russian flag allegedly placed on the ruins of the city’s administrative center. That information cannot be independently verified.
If the separatists manage to 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, next to Lysychansk. There has been heavy fighting in the streets for weeks.
According to the general staff, Russia is also advancing towards Kharkiv and Slovyansk, but attacks towards both cities were repulsed by Ukrainian soldiers.
Fighting also continues towards Bachmoet, an important traffic junction in the Donetsk region. The Russians are also trying to storm Spartak, a suburb of the city of Donetsk, Ukraine says.
In southern Ukraine, heavy airstrikes took place on Ivanivka, in the Kherson region, which was retaken by Ukrainian troops on Saturday. And Mykolaiv was also shelled by rockets. Nor can Ukrainian reports of attacks be independently verified.
Still in the south, the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fyodorov, reports that one of the four Ukrainian military bases was hit by 30 rockets. Military equipment and several fuel depots were hit, causing explosions to be heard for hours. A Russian train is said to have derailed in the city, which was supposed to provide supplies for the Russians. And the city’s entrances and exits are blocked, Fyodorov says.
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