“Painful, not critical”
Governor orders withdrawal from Lysychansk
07/04/2022, 4:00 p.m
For weeks, the city of Lyssychansk withstood the Russian continuous fire. On Sunday, the Ukrainian military ordered an orderly withdrawal. The loss hurts the governor of the Luhansk region, but he doesn’t see it as a turning point in the war.
Having completely captured the Luhansk region, Ukraine now fears that Russian forces are increasing their targeting of the Donetsk region. The cities of Sloviansk and Bakhmut in particular are likely to be attacked, said the governor of the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, Serhiy Hajday.
Hajdaj said the loss of Lysychank was painful but not critical. “It hurts a lot, but it doesn’t mean losing the war.” For him personally, the loss of the entire Luhansk region is something special. “This is the home country where I was born and I am also the head of the region.”
From a military point of view, giving up positions is bad, the governor admitted. But he emphasized: “We must win the war, not the battle for Lysychansk.” The retreat from the former big city was “centralized,” said Hajdaj. In doing so, he indicated that the withdrawal was planned and proceeded properly. Otherwise, the Ukrainian soldiers ran the risk of being surrounded.
“Ukraine has gained time for fortifications in Donetsk”
In the week-long battle for Lysychansk, Russian troops were concentrated that could have been deployed on other fronts, Hajdaj said. This gave the Ukrainian armed forces the opportunity to entrench themselves in the Donetsk region to “make it more difficult for the Russians”. Russian tactics will be the same as elsewhere. “They will shoot at everything with their artillery, but it will be difficult for them to advance.”
After the capture of Luhansk, he does not expect that Russia will now completely transfer its soldiers to any front because they have to hold the line, Hajdaj said. “If they leave their positions, ours can launch a kind of counter-offensive.” However, the Donetsk region remains the “number one target” for the Russian troops, Hajdaj said. “Sloviansk and Bakhmut will come under fire – Bakhmut is already under heavy fire.”
“Counter-Offensive When West Delivers Weapons”
Bakhmut, Sloviansk and nearby Kramatorsk lie southwest of Lysychansk and are the main cities holding out against Russian forces in Donetsk. Governor Hajdaj reiterated the demand for more weapons from Western allies, who understood too late what was happening in Ukraine. His country’s armed forces could launch a counteroffensive if they had enough long-range weapons to oppose the Russian troops. “They’re just firing at our positions from afar 24/7.”
Pro-Russian separatists have been active in Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014. They controlled large parts of the area even before the war. On Sunday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Luhansk had been taken in full. The Ukrainian military leadership later said its troops had withdrawn from Lysychansk, the last city in Luhansk not yet under full Russian control.
Zelenskyj is waiting for US missiles
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he intends to reconquer lost territory with the help of Western weapons. To this end, Ukraine will primarily use longer-range US missiles, Zelenskyy said in his nightly video speech. “But protecting the lives of our soldiers, our people, is just as important,” said the President. “We will rebuild the walls, we will reclaim the country.”
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian flag is flying again over Snake Island. After the withdrawal of the Russian troops, who had temporarily occupied the strategically important island in the Black Sea, the Ukrainian flag was raised, a military spokeswoman said. “The territory was returned to the sovereignty of Ukraine.” Russian troops cleared the island last week.