Ukraine’s defense ministry refutes Russia's claims of full control over Lysychansk
That’s according to Yuriy Sak, an advisor to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Ukrinform reported with reference to the BBC.
In a comment, Sak also noted that the situation in the city had remained "very intense for quite a while now" with Russian ground forces "attacking the city non-stop."
"For Ukrainians, the value of human life is a top priority, so sometimes we may retreat from certain areas so that we can retake them in the future," said the adviser to the Minister of Defense.
At the same time, Sak declared that the battle of Donbas will not end even if Russia captures the entire Luhansk region. He pointed out that the Armed Forces of Ukraine control a number of other large cities in Donetsk region. “These are cities that for the last couple of days [have been] targets of severe missile attacks, artillery shelling,” he says, “but the battle for the Donbas is not over yet.”
He expressed his belief that Ukraine will eventually amass a sufficient amount of heavy artillery and other types of weaponry "that will allow us to liberate our lands."
Earlier, Russian propaganda media said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Volodymyr Putin that "full control over the city of Lysychansk and a number of nearby settlements has been established."
At the same time, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on the morning of July 3 that in the Donetsk direction, the Russian invaders were focusing their main efforts on securing positions in the area of Lysychansk and Verkhniokamyanka. The enemy carried out offensive missions near Bilohorivka but saw no success, being forced to withdraw.
Photo: Luhansk Regional Military Administration
