Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that it was “impossible to say that Lyschansk is under Russian control,” stressing that fighting continued in the outskirts of this city, which Moscow had previously declared occupied.
“There has been fighting in the outskirts of this city under pressure from Russian forces for several weeks,” he told a news conference in Kyiv with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The capture of Lyssychansk in eastern Ukraine would allow Moscow to take control of the entire Lugansk region and Russian forces to threaten Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, two major cities in the Ukrainian-controlled industrial region of Donbass.
There are dangers of occupying the entire Lugansk region. Mr Zelensky added that there are risks and we understand that, believing that Lysichansk represents “the most difficult and dangerous situation for Ukraine”.
“We don’t have an advantage there, that’s right. It’s our weakness but on other points, we’re moving forward.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Sunday that the Kremlin’s forces had taken control of the entire Lugansk region after occupying Lysechansk, which has been fighting fierce fighting for weeks.
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