Ukraine now only controls outskirts of Sievierodonetsk, says governor
Ukrainian forces have been pushed back by a Russian bombardment in the frontline eastern city of Sievierodonetsk and now only control its outskirts, according to the governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Haidai.
Speaking to the RBC-Ukraine media outlet, Haidai said it made no sense for Ukrainian special forces to stay inside the city after Russia started levelling the area with shelling and air strikes.
Regional leaders had said Ukrainian forces might have to “pull back” to stronger positions in Sievierodonetsk amid heavy fighting in the city and frontline villages to the south as Russia pursues a breakthrough in Donbas.
It was “impossible” to say that Sievierodonetsk had been completely seized by Russian troops, Haidai said, adding:
Our (forces) now again control only the outskirts of the city. But the fighting is still going on, our (forces) are defending Sievierodonetsk, it is impossible to say the Russians completely control the city.
Haidai had earlier insisted that a retreat was not being planned. “Do not breed betrayal. Do not spoil the mood of the armed forces! Nobody is going to surrender Sievierodonetsk!” he said, adding that Ukraine’s defenders would fight for “every inch”
