Ukrainian forces pulled out of Lisichansk on Sunday, allowing Russia to claim control of the city, which was Kyiv’s last stronghold in the eastern Luhansk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to return, “thanks to our tactics, thanks to the increase in the supply of modern weapons. Ukraine is not giving up anything.”
While Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said Monday that Ukrainian forces still control a “small part” of Luhansk, the loss of Lisichansk means that Moscow has practically taken over throughout the region and may turn its sights to neighboring Donetsk. Haiday told Reuters he expected Russia to target Slavyansk and Bakhmut in particular as the Kremlin seeks to take control of the greater Donbas area, which includes both Luhansk and Donetsk, in the final phase of its invasion. Fighting in the east is likely to continue to be “tiring and exhausting”, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Monday.
As Kyiv tries to hold on, senior Ukrainian officials will gather with European leaders in Switzerland for the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which begins on Monday. Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska will separately address the conference virtually.
Here’s what else you need to know
- Britain is expected to unveil a major aid package — including an additional $525 million in loan guarantees from the World Bank — at the Ukraine recovery conference.
- Pope Francis suggested in an interview Monday that he may visit Ukraine and Russia to advocate for an end to the war.
- Russia shelled several towns in the Donetsk region. Six people were killed and 20 wounded in Slavyansk, officials said.
- The Turkish authorities detained a Russian-flagged cargo ship loaded with stolen Ukrainian grain, the ambassador of Ukraine in Ankara announced.
Add Comment