General Staff: after Lysychansk, Russians attempt pushing Armed Forces of Ukraine behind Siversk-Bakhmut line

After the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Defense Forces from the Lysychansk area, the Russian invaders are trying to take over new positions.

This was announced by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The main efforts of the enemy groups are focused on gradually pushing the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine towards the Siversk – Fedorivka – Bakhmut line.

The Russian invasion forces are also preparing to resume the offensive on Sloviansk. To this end, a battalion tactical group from the Izium district was transferred towards Snizhkivka and additional gun artillery units were deployed in the area.

The units of the Russian Federation managed to cross the Siverskyi Donets River, and they are now entrenched in the area of Bilohorivka and Lysychansk in the Luhansk Region.

In addition, Russians try to establish control over the localities of Bohorodychne, Mazanivka, and Dolyna through assault operations in the north of the Donetsk Region.

In the Bakhmut direction, the invaders intensified artillery shelling of the Ukrainian positions along the contact line. The invaders launched multiple massive rocket strikes at Pokrovske, Berestove, Spirne, and the area of the Vuhlehirska power station.

Yesterday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces reported that after the heavy fight for Lysychansk, the Defense Forces of Ukraine had to withdraw from their positions and lines.

British intelligence believes that after the occupation of Lysychansk in the Luhansk Region, the Russian invasion forces will focus on capturing the Donetsk Region.

“The city was the last remaining major population centre in Luhansk Oblast under Ukrainian control. Russia’s focus will now almost certainly switch to capturing Donetsk Oblast, a large portion of which remain under the control of Ukrainian forces.

The fight for the Donbas has been grinding and attritional and this is highly unlikely to change in the coming weeks,” the British intelligence agency noted.

The General Staff added that continuing the defense of the city would lead to fatal consequences. The decision to withdraw was made to preserve the lives of Ukrainian defenders.