Russia says it’s captured last major city in Luhansk

Bloomberg

Russia’s defense chief told President Vladimir Putin that Moscow’s troops have captured Lysychansk, the last major Ukrainian-held city in Luhansk, state media reported. The move would give Russia a stronger grasp on its goal of controlling Ukraine’s entire Donbas, an important industrial region. A Ukrainian defense official said Lysychansk is not under the “full control” of Russia.
The capture would put Russia closer to its goal of controlling of Ukraine’s Donbas region, comprised of Luhansk and Donetsk. Ukrainian forces spent weeks defending Lysychansk and neighboring Sievierodonetsk, on the opposite bank of the Siversky Donets river, from which they withdraw in late June.
Ukraine’s forces likely conducted a deliberate withdrawal from Lysychansk, resulting in Russian seizure of the city on July 2, said the Institute for the Study of War.
“Geolocated footage showed Russian forces casually walking around northern and southeastern neighborhoods in Lysychansk in a way that suggests that there are few or no remaining Ukrainian forces”, the US-based think tank said.
“Russian forces will likely establish control over the remaining territory of Luhansk Oblast in coming days and will likely then prioritize drives on Ukrainian positions in Siversk.”
Earlier on Sunday Luhansk’s governor said Moscow’s army was “persistently pressing forward” in the Lysychansk area despite incurring heavy casualties. “They attacked the city with incomprehensibly cruel tactics,” Serhiy Haidai said on Telegram. Much of Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk have been left in ruins.
Russian-backed separatist officials said Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk province has been completely encircled, according to Interfax. Ukraine denies the city has been surrounded.
“Fighting rages around Lysychansk,” said Ruslan Muzytchuk, a spokesman for the Ukrainian National Guard. “The city has not been encircled and is under control of the Ukrainian army.”
Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said Moscow’s troops were making an all-out effort to take control of strategic city. “Over the last day, the occupiers opened fire from all available kinds of weapons,” he said on Telegram.
Russia is already switching its focus further west into Donetsk. Moscow’s forces shelled Kramatorsk with multiple rocket launch systems for a second day, its mayor said. It’s the city where at least 59 civilians were killed in a railway station bombing in April.
Nearby Slovyansk saw intense shelling on Sunday, said its mayor, Vadym Lyakh. A spokeswoman for Donetsk said six people had been killed and 15 wounded there. Russian defense officials blamed a Ukrainian Tochka-U missile for explosions in Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border. Ukraine hasn’t commented. Further north, Russian air defenses hit two Ukrainian drones around Kursk, Tass reported, citing the regional governor.