Ukraine’s General Staff confirms troops withdrawing from Lysychansk

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have withdrawn from Lysychansk, reports the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in a post on Facebook.

“After heavy fighting for Lysychansk, the Defence Forces of Ukraine were forced to withdraw from their occupied positions and lines,” says General Staff’s statement.

It notes that in the conditions of “the multiple superiority” of the Russian occupying forces in “artillery, aviation, MLRS, ammunition and personnel, the continuation of the defence of the city would lead to fatal consequences”. The decision to withdraw was made “in order to preserve the lives of Ukrainian defenders”.

On 2 July, the self-proclaimed Luhansk “people’s republic” and the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov announced that Lysychansk had been taken. Today, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed the news.

Following the fighting, Russian troops have taken control of Lysychansk and the nearby territories, including settlements Bilohorivka, Maloryazantseve, and Bila Hora, as well as the city of Novodruzhesk, says Shoigu’s message.