Ukraine forces to retreat from battleground city Sievierodonetsk to avoid encirclement
- Retreat of Ukrainian troops from Sievierodonetsk brings Russia closer to one of its key war aims of capturing the Donbas region
- The war is in a brutal attritional phase with Russian forces using overwhelming artillery firepower on Ukrainian defenders
Ukrainian forces will retreat from the besieged city Sievierodonetsk in the country’s east to avoid encirclement, a regional governor said on Friday, a significant setback after weeks of ferocious fighting against Russian forces.
The city of Sievierodonetsk, the administrative centre of the Luhansk region, has faced relentless Russian bombardment, as the conflict enters its fourth month.
Ukrainian troops fought Russians in house-to-house battles before retreating to a huge chemical factory on the city’s edge, where they holed up in its sprawling underground structures.
In recent days, Russian forces have made gains around Sievierodonetsk and the neighbouring city of Lysychansk, on a steep bank across the river, in a bid to encircle Ukrainian forces.
Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai said that the Ukrainian troops have been given the order to leave Sievierodonetsk to prevent that.
“We will have to pull back our guys,” he said. “It makes no sense to stay at the destroyed positions, because the number of casualties in poorly fortified areas will grow every day.”