Ukraine announces capitulation of its Severodonetsk troops

The Ukrainian head of the Lugansk Military Administration, Serhiy Haidai, announced this Saturday the capitulation of the neo-Nazi troops that were still defending positions in the city of Severodonetsk, Lugansk province (in the Donbas basin, in the east of the country).

121 days after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict, the abandonment of the Severodonetsk territory constitutes the biggest setback for Ukraine since it lost the port of Mariupol last May.

In addition to setting the stage for the Russian armed forces to advance on Lysychansk as a possible next military objective, linked by several bridges over the Donets River, and the only enclave in the province still in the hands of Ukrainian troops.

Regarding the withdrawal, Haidai expressed in his account on the Telegram platform that "unfortunately, we will have to withdraw our troops from Severodonetsk, because there is no point in continuing to fight for something lost: the number of dead is growing."

The senior officer added that "the defenders of Severodonetsk are trying to flee to new positions, to new fortified areas, from there to fight normally and fully and inflict damage on the enemy."

Meanwhile, the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, recently avoided that “in many aspects, the fate of the Donbas was decided in Severodonetsk.

For its part, the Kremlin reported this Friday that in the last five Russian troops have taken control of ten towns in the Lugansk region, referring to Loskutovka, Pidlisne, Myrna Dolyna, Shchebkarier, Vrubivka, Nyrkove, Mykolayivka, Novoivanovka. , Ustynivka and Rai-Oleksandrivka.

Its spokesman, Igor Konashénkov, explained that "a group of Ukrainian troops has been completely blocked in the area of ​​the Hirske and Zolote settlements"; specifically four Ukrainian battalions, so that in total "up to 2,000 people have been blocked, including 80 mercenaries".

Following the capture of Severodonetsk, the Russian military is estimated to control about 95 percent of Luhansk province, and about half of Donetsk.