Ukraine vows to reclaim cities lost to Russia after withdrawal from Severodonetsk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to win back all the cities in the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, including Severodonetsk, that have been taken by Russian forces.

Russian forces had been advancing on Severodonetsk and the city across a river, Lysychansk, in a bid to take full control of the eastern-most region of Luhansk.

The mayor of Severodonetsk admitted on Saturday that the city is now fully occupied by Russian forces.

Ukraine’s military intelligence chief told the Reuters news agency that Ukrainian forces made a “tactical withdrawal” to fight from higher ground in Lysychansk.

The official was quoted as saying, “given the conditions, holding the defense in the ruins and open fields is no longer possible. ”

The focus has now shifted to Lysychansk, where Russia said street battles began on Saturday after its forces had moved in from the south.

Zelenskyy said in a video address on Saturday that 45 Russian missiles hit wide areas, including the northern, southern and western parts of his country.

He described the strikes as intended for “not just the destruction of our infrastructure,” but also as “very cynical, calculated pressure on the emotions of our people.”

Zelenskyy said the missile attacks confirmed that sanctions packages against Russia are not enough.

He called for more weapons from the West, saying “air defense systems — the modern systems that our partners have — should be not in training areas or storage facilities, but in Ukraine, where they are now needed.”

Meanwhile, Sievierodonetsk is now “fully occupied” by Russia’s forces said the city’s head of military administration Oleksandr Striuk Saturday.

“The city is completely occupied by the Russians,” Struik said in a televised address after the Ukrainian army withdrew to the neighbouring town of Lyssytchansk yesterday.

Sievierodonetsk, a key city in the prized Donbas region, has experienced several grinding weeks of fighting between Russia and Ukraine and has been bombed heavily, with some witnesses stating that most of it have been turned to rubble.

Before the war, it was home to 100,000 people.

According to Striuk, several hundred locals, who had been sheltering from the bombardment in Sievierodonetsk’s Azot factory, have started to leave the site.

“These people have lived almost three months of their lives in basements, shelters,” he said. “It’s difficult emotionally and physiologically.”

Striuk added that they “now they (need) help — medical and psychological”.

Moscow is now in almost complete control of the Lugansk region, which includes Sievierodonetsk, and “street fighting” is underway in the neighbouring city of Lysychansk, according to Russian-backed separatists.

A Ukrainian military commander wrote on social media that US-supplied advanced HIMARS rocket systems were now deployed and hitting targets in Russian-occupied parts of the country.

LENS, Wire report