Russian forces closed in on Ukrainian troops in the east and briefly held their positions on the last highway leading to two key Ukrainian-held cities, before withdrawing, a Ukrainian official said on Thursday.
Russia mobilized thousands of soldiers in its offensive in the eastern Donbas region and attacked from three sides with the aim of encircling the Ukrainian forces at Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. The fall of the cities would bring almost all of Luhansk province, the main target of the Kremlin war, under Russian control.
The governor of Luhansk province Serhiy Gaidai acknowledged the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces, but said that the last route from Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk, which crosses the Siversky Donets River, remained outside of Russian control.
In an interview posted on social media, Gaidai said that “about 50” Russian soldiers reached the highway connecting Lysychansk to Ukrainian-controlled Bakhmut and “managed to stay on the ground for a while. They even set up a kind of checkpoint there.”
“The checkpoint was broken, they were thrown back. So at the moment the Russian army is not controlling the route, but is bombing it,” he said.
“From day one, the entire region, all military positions were bombed,” Gaidai said. “Most of our fortified structures were destroyed.” Said. “It’s clear our men are slowly being drawn into more empowered positions – we need to get this crowd under control.”
He suggested further Ukrainian withdrawal and said it was possible for troops to “leave one enclave, maybe two.” We have to win the war, not the war.
Western military analysts see the war for the two cities as a potential turning point in the war, as Russia’s main goal is to capture the east.
Reuters journalists operating in Russia’s more southerly territories saw evidence of Moscow advancing to the city of Svitlodarsk, where Ukrainian forces had withdrawn earlier this week.
The city is now firmly under the tight control of pro-Russian fighters, who occupied the local government building and hung a Soviet sickle and hammer and a red flag on the door.
Russia’s recent gains in the Donbas follow last week’s surrender of the Ukrainian garrison in Mariupol and mark a shift in momentum on the battlefield after weeks of advance of Ukrainian forces northeast near Kharkiv.
“Russia’s recent gains offer a clear analysis of short-term prospects,” said defense analyst Michael Kofman, director of Russian studies at the US-based think tank CNA.
source: Noticias
