No talk of retreating from Lysychansk at the moment - head of the District State Administration
ROMAN PETRENKO – FRIDAY, 24 JUNE 2022, 16:03
Roman Vlasenko, the head of the Sievierodonetsk District State Administration, has insisted that there is no talk of a military retreat from Lysychansk at the moment.
Source: Vlasenko, talking to Radio Svoboda (Liberty)
Quote from Vlasenko: "There’s aircraft, Tochka-U [ballistic missiles], a whole set of artillery operating here. The offensive comes from all directions. They’re storming Lysychansk, storming the Bakhmut-Lysychansk road, and Sievierodonetsk as well, and the surrounding villages - Synetskyi, Pavlohrad, Syrotyne, Borivske.
Everywhere there is shelling and fighting.
There is no talk of retreating from Lysychansk at the moment."
Details: Vlasenko also gave assurances that Ukrainian troops are still in Sievierodonetsk, and it will take some time to leave the city - it's not a matter of hours or days.
Background:
- On 23 June, Serhii Haidai, the head of the Luhansk Oblast State Administration, said that Ukrainian defenders could retreat to new, better-fortified positions in Sievierodonetsk.
- On 24 June, Haidai reported that Ukrainian defenders had stopped the Russian offensive near Borivske in Luhansk Oblast and repulsed the attack on Lysychansk, while the occupiers had managed to capture Mykolaivka and fighting in Sievierodonetsk continued.
- Haidai later reported that the defenders of Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast had been ordered to retreat to new, better-fortified positions.
- In recent days, the Russians have occupied several more settlements in Luhansk Oblast. According to British intelligence, Russian troops have advanced 5 km towards Lysychansk. According to ISW, they could capture the city in the coming days.
