Ukrainian officials have acknowledged the loss of many communities near the town of Lysychansk, the only urban complex in the Luhansk region they still control. “The Russians are approaching Lysychansk, surrounded by nearby towns. The city is being bombed by aircraft,” said Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk regional military administration. Hayday admitted it was “difficult” in the area south of Lysychansk. “The enemy entered Toskivka, which allowed him to increase fire in other settlements.” He said Russian forces were established in several villages immediately south of Lysychansk, including Ustynivka, Pidlisne and Myrna Dolyna, and were advancing on Bila Hora. “It is not easy for our soldiers to defend themselves,” he said. Hayday’s comments suggest that Ukrainian defenses around Lysychansk have begun to succumb to a much larger Russian firepower after weeks of bombing. He said “street battles continue in Sheverodonetsk”, where Ukrainian defenders still occupy part of the Nitrogen chemical plant. However, he said the Russians were trying to encircle Ukrainian units in some areas (such as Borivske) near Lysychansk and Severodonetsk. Military analysts said the risk of a Russian advance from the south meant that some Ukrainian troops could be cut off. Hayday added: “Lysychansk is under heavy fire now. The city is being bombarded by artillery, tanks and aircraft. There are at least three injured civilians there, many police officers have been injured.” He said police and security services had been hit by rockets. Throughout its campaign, Russia used heavy bombardment tactics before attempting to seize territory. Elsewhere, the Ukrainian army’s general staff said Russia was holding up to three regular battalion groups and airborne units in border areas as possible reinforcements. The settlements near Kharkov had been intensively bombed, he said. On Tuesday, 15 people were killed in artillery raids in the area. In the Donetsk region, the General Staff said Russian forces were using multi-launcher systems “to create the conditions for a resumption of the offensive in the city of Slovyansk.” But he also said that Ukrainian units had prevented the Russians from advancing on Bakhmut from the south. Elsewhere, along the active front lines that stretch for more than 1,000 kilometers, Ukrainians reported the bombing of settlements in the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions. The head of Donetsk regional military administration, Pavlo Kirilenko, said six children had been injured and one had been killed in the bombing of Tsasiv Yar. He said cluster munitions had landed on a beach in a city lake.
