Russian forces are slowly but surely approaching Lyssytchansk, which, together with its twin city of Sievierodonetsk, is the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine.
The regional governor, Sergei Gaïdaï, and the general staff of the Ukrainian forces confirmed in the last hours that three villages located south of Lysytchansk, namely Pidlisne, Myrna Dolyna and Tochkivka, fell into their hands.
These villages are all south of Lyssychansk, on the west bank of the Donets River.
In the short term, this advance allows Russian and pro-Russian troops to further threaten the supply routes of the Ukrainian army in this pocket of resistance, or even to consider a direct offensive on Lyssytchansk, without forcing their troops to cross the Donets River. from Sievierodonetsk.
The Russians approach Lysychansk, gain a foothold in nearby towns and shell the cityagreed Governor Gaïdaï in a message published on the social network Telegram on Wednesday.
Very soon, the groups [ukrainiens] in Lysytchansk and Sievierodonetsk will be surroundedpredicted a lieutenant-colonel of the pro-Russian separatists in Luhansk, Andrei Marotchko, on Russian television Rossiïa 24.
Mr. Marotchko also said that Ukrainian fighters were surrounded in the villages of Hirske and Zolote, south-west of Tochkivka, and that a group of foreign mercenaries had been eliminated in the area. This information has not been confirmed by kyiv.
The victories and successes are colossal. Over the past two days, a tremendous amount of work has been donesaid this senior pro-Russian separatist.
Ukraine sends reinforcements to Sievierodonetsk
The Ukrainian army still manages to send reinforcements to Sievierodonetsk, despite the destruction of the three bridges connecting it to Lysytchansk, according to freelance photographer Oleksandr Ratouchniak, who has made the journey in recent days alongside Ukrainian forces.
Mr. Ratouchniak says that he entered Sievierodonetsk with the Svoboda battalion and stayed two nights in the town. He claims to have filmed soldiers crossing the Donets on an inflatable boat or fighting in the ruins of the industrial zone.
Governor Gaidai acknowledged earlier this week that Ukrainian soldiers are mostly confined to the area of the Azot chemical plant, but says they still continue to resist Russian assaults, which control most of the city. .
In its daily report published on Wednesday, British military intelligence lifted the lid on the price of this slow but continuous advance by Russian and pro-Russian forces in Ukraine's Donbass, which includes the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.
He thus underlines that the self-proclaimed republic of Donetsk itself recognizes, as of June 16, that 2,128 of its soldiers have fallen in combat since the beginning of 2022, and that 8,897 others have been injured.
This equates to a loss of 55% of its original workforce, illustrating the extraordinary attrition Russian and pro-Russian forces in the Donbass, British military intelligence estimates.
Russia and the self-proclaimed republic of Luhansk do not publish the figures of their losses, following the example of Ukraine, whose authorities have however admitted that they lost 100 to 200 fighters per day in the battle of Donbass.
Radio Canada
Source: Radio-Canada
