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Updated July 4th, 2022 at 13:44 IST

UK claims after Luhansk, Russia now shifting focus to Donetsk which remains under Ukraine

UK MoD on July 4 claimed, after seizing control of Luhansk region, Vladimir Putin's forces are shifting their focus to the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

Reported by: Aparna Shandilya
UK
Image: AP | Image:self
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After seizing control of the Luhansk region, Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces are now shifting their focus to the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, UK claimed on July 4. According to the UK defence chiefs' daily intelligence update on the morning of July 4, Ukrainian forces are now likely to be retreating from Lysychansk to prepare defensive positions after Russia claimed complete control of the key strategic city.

However, as fighting in the Donbass has escalated in recent weeks, the UK Ministry of Defence stated that "Russia’s focus will now almost certainly switch to capturing Donetsk Oblast, a large portion of which remain under the control of Ukrainian forces."

Since abandoning an assault on Kyiv in the early stages of the conflict, Russia has focused its military operations on the industrial Donbass heartland, which includes the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, where Moscow-backed separatist proxies have been fighting Ukraine since 2014. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged in his nightly address on July 3 that his forces had pulled out of Lysychansk but remained defiant, warning Russia that he would repel Putin's troops with a new supply of modern weapons from western allies.

“If the commanders of our army withdraw people from certain points at the front, where the enemy has the greatest advantage in firepower, and this also applies to Lysychansk, it means only one thing. That we will return thanks to our tactics, thanks to the increase in the supply of modern weapons,” Zelenskyy said. 

Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from Lysychansk: UK MoD

Confirming the most recent major development in the Donbass, the UK MoD added that Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from Lysychansk, most likely retreating to defensive positions. The Russian Ministry of Defence previously claimed to have completed the encirclement of Lysychansk and gained complete control of the city. The city was the last major population centre in the Luhansk Oblast that was still under Ukrainian control.

The UK Ministry of Defense confirmed the latest major development in the Donbass, saying, "Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from Lysychansk, likely retreating to prepared defensive positions." Further, at least six people were killed on July 3 when the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk was hit by powerful shelling from multiple rocket launchers west of Lysychansk in the Donetsk region, according to local officials, Daily Mail reported.

Image: AP

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Published July 4th, 2022 at 13:44 IST

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