Once a day, NU.nl gives you an overview of the situation in Ukraine. This time: Russia took control of the strategically located Ukrainian city of Lysychansk on Sunday after Ukrainian troops withdrew from the city. Many people have been killed in shelling of cities in Donetsk, Ukrainian authorities say.
First Lysychansk: the city was the last strategic stronghold held by Ukraine in the Luhansk region. The city is important for the Russians, because it is from there that they can reach further into the Donets basin.
“Continuing to defend the city would have fatal consequences. In order to save the lives of Ukrainian defenders, the decision has been taken to withdraw,” the Ukrainian military command said in a statement on social media.
During the night from Saturday to Sunday, several Ukrainian army sources acknowledged that the city had fallen. For example, the Ukrainian military governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Gaidai, reported that the Russians had advanced further and were strengthening their position. That was contradicted by Kyiv during the day on Sunday. It’s not entirely clear why that happened.
Russian media showed early in the day images of separatists or Russian troops parading through the streets of Lysychansk. Russian sources also posted a video on Twitter showing a Soviet flag being placed on the ruins of the city’s administrative center. The information cannot be verified.
Many buildings in Lysychansk have been damaged. The city has been heavily bombed by Russian troops in recent weeks.
Many buildings in Lysychansk have been damaged. The city has been heavily bombed by Russian troops in recent weeks. Photo: Reuters
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‘Many dead’ in heavy shelling of Ukrainian cities in Donetsk
According to authorities, many people have been killed by Russian shelling in Donetsk. The mayor of the city of Slovyansk speaks of the heaviest shelling on that city in the recent period.
Mayor Vadym Lyakh said at least six people were killed and 15 injured. Fire broke out at fifteen locations in the city. At least one child was killed. Lyakh expects the death toll to rise quickly.
Kramatorsk, another city in Donetsk, was again the target of shelling. Journalists from news agency Reuters already signaled rocket strikes in the city on Saturday. Some explosives that did not detonate were found in residential areas and between apartment buildings.
The journalists also spoke to Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines in the Donets Basin. “The Russians are currently using the tactic of bombing everything flat and only then move forward,” the military said.
May also be killed in explosion in Russian city
It would also have been restless in Russia on Sunday. At least three people have been killed in several explosions in the Russian city of Belgorod, near Ukraine, according to the local governor. Four people are said to have been injured. The announcement followed reports of several explosions in the city. Dozens of buildings have been damaged.
At least 11 apartment buildings and 39 homes were hit. Five of them have been completely destroyed, said Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov of the Belgorod region.
Ukraine has not yet responded and the message has not yet been independently verified.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia has complained several times about attacks on its own territory. Besides Belgorod, other Russian regions – including Kursk and Bryansk – repeatedly accuse the Ukrainians of shelling. Kyiv usually does not comment on the allegations.
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