Ukraine war: Russia claims the capture of Lysychansk, an eastern city

Russia claims it now has full control over the eastern city Lysychansk, a claim that is not supported by Ukraine.

Ukraine war: Russia claims the capture of Lysychansk, an eastern city

Russia claims it now has full control over the eastern city Lysychansk, a claim that is not supported by Ukraine.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu informed President Putin that his forces had seized the Luhansk region.

Ramzan Kadyrov (head of Russia's Chechen Republic), published video earlier showing Chechen fighters at Lysychansk.

Further west, heavy shelling was conducted on the Ukrainian-held Slovyansk, resulting in at least six deaths.

It is located in Donetsk, which together with Luhansk makes the industrial Donbas.

Before he started the war, President Putin recognized all of Luhansk & Donetsk as independent from Ukraine. In 2014, Russian proxy forces started an insurgency.

A little over a week ago, Russian troops captured Severodonetsk. This was a city that had been reduced to rubble by weeks of Russian bombardment.

The defense ministry of Ukraine insists Lysychansk, the last major city it controlled within the Luhansk region, is not under Russian control. However, there are many videos on social media that confirm they have entered the city. A few locals may have remained behind to greet the Russian forces as "liberators". There has always been strong pro-Russian sentiment.

Lysychansk is visible from across the Seversky Donets River. It was built on high ground and offered some hope of a strong defense. The Russian forces have now taken control of most of the access to the city, tightening the grip on the area.

The commanders of Ukraine will have to decide whether to continue fighting - with large casualties and the possibility of their remaining forces being surrounded by hostile forces - or withdraw troops to fight another day. Some units had already withdrawn to the next line of defense over the past week.

Ukrainian officials have been unusually silent about what's happened in the city. This could be partly explained by "operational safety" reasons. If that's what has been happening, they wouldn't want to broadcast any tactical retreat. However, losing Lysychansk could also be considered a setback for the east.

Even though Lysychansk may have fallen, it doesn't mean that the fighting in Donbas is over. Large urban areas in Donetsk, which is a neighbouring country, are still controlled by Ukraine. They have been building new defense lines between Bakhmut, Slovyansk and are also under heavy Russian bombardment. Both sides have suffered heavy casualties. Now, the question is whether Ukraine can stop the advance and whether Russia can keep the momentum.

Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, and Kramatorsk remain the largest cities in Donetsk.

According to Mayor Lyakh, the heavy Russian bombardment in Slovyansk caused 15 fires. Video footage showed large plumes of smoke rising above the city. It was the most severe shelling in recent times, he said.

According to the caption, a Twitter video clip showed large blasts coming from a distance. It was in Slovyansk. It was uploaded by Iuliia Medel, an ex-spokesperson of President Volodymyr Zelensky. The BBC could not verify the most recent conditions in Slovyansk.

Other developments