Russian troops are trying to block the strategic city of Lysychans'k in eastern Ukraine, Luhansk's governor relentlessly said Saturday. Later, due to the assault on nearby Sieviero Donetsk, the Ukrainian troops began to withdraw.
Russia has also launched missile attacks in areas far from the center of the eastern battle.
Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said on Facebook that Russian and separatist fighters tried to block Lysychans'k from the south. The city is next to Severodonetsk, which has endured weeks of relentless assault and urban warfare.
Lysychans'k and Sievierodonetsk occupy the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and Russia aims to destroy the Ukrainian troops that protect it. Was the focus of the attack. And the battle-enhanced part of the national army.
The two cities and their surrounding areas are the last major pockets of Ukrainian resistance in Luhansk, 95% of which are under the control of Russian and local separatists. Russians and separatists also dominate about half of Donetsk, the second state of Donbus.
Russian bombardment has destroyed most of Severodonetsk and reduced its population from 100,000 to 10,000. Part of the Ukrainian army, along with about 500 civilians, is trapped in a huge Azoth chemical factory on the edge of the city. Separatist representative Ivan Filiponenko reported that the military evacuated 800 civilians from the factory at night, Interfax reported.
After Haidai said on Friday that Ukrainian troops had begun to withdraw from Severodonetsk, military analyst Oleg Zudanov said some troops were heading to Lysychans'k. But Russia's move to cut off Lysychans'k will give the retreating troops a little rest.
About 1,000 kilometers west, four Russian rockets collided with "military objects" in Lviv, said Maksym Kozytskyy, Governor of Lviv. He did not reveal the details of the target, but Jarobib has a considerable military base used to train fighters, including foreigners, who volunteered to fight for Ukraine
A Russian rocket struck the Yarovib base in March, killing 35 people. Although far from the front lines, the Lviv region was set on fire at various points in the war as Russian troops worked to destroy fuel depots.
On Saturday morning, about 30 Russian rockets were launched in the Zhytomyr region of central Ukraine, killing one Ukrainian soldier, said regional governor Vitaliy Buchenko.
In the north, about 20 rockets were launched from Belarus into the Chernihiv region, Ukrainian troops said.
Ukrainian Air Force Command said the Russian long-range Tu-22 bomber was the first to be deployed from Belarus. Neighboring countries host Russian troops and were used as a stage before Russia invaded Ukraine, but their troops did not cross the border.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukaschenko were to meet on Saturday in St. Petersburg.
U.S. senior defense officials speaking in Washington on condition of anonymity could better defend the military by calling the Ukrainian move from Sieviero Donetsk a "tactical retrograde" on Friday. Integrated into position. This will add to Ukraine's efforts to keep Russian troops in small areas longer, officials said.
In the early stages of the invasion, which began on February 24, the Russian army focused on the Ukrainian army following a failed attempt to occupy the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Donbus has been fighting Moscow-backed separatists since 2014.
Four medium-range US rocket launchers arrive this week after repeated demands on Ukraine's western allies for heavier weapons to counter Russia's thermal dominance. did. There are four more along the way.
US defense officials are training more Ukrainian troops to use the High Mobile Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) outside Ukraine on Friday, with weapons by mid-July. He said he was expected to return to his country. The rocket can travel about 45 miles. Eighteen US coastal and river patrol boats will also be sent.
Officials said there was no evidence that Russia had blocked the steady influx of weapons from the United States and other countries into Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly threatened to strike or actually strike such cargo.
- In:
- belarus
- War
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Civil Rights
- Vladimir Lukatin
- Kyiv
- Alexander Lukashenko
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