“After the intense fighting for Lysychansk, the Ukrainian defense forces had to withdraw from their positions and lines,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement.
Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu also said that they had captured Lychsansk and completely regained control in the Luhansk region.
‘RUSSIAN BALLS, AIRCRAFT POWER IS SUPERIOR’
It was claimed that the Russians were superior in artillery, aircraft, manpower and other areas, while Ukrainian officials said that “the decision was made to withdraw to save the lives of the Ukrainian defenders”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also promised to return to Lychsansk with the tactics of the Ukrainian forces and the “increase in the supply of modern weapons”.
Earlier, the leader of Chechnya, Ramazan Kadyrov, published a video showing Chechen forces in Lychisansk.
In Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk regions make up the area called Donbas.
Before the war, Russian leader Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.