Ukraine announces the withdrawal of troops from Siversk, a locality conquered by Russian forces “after 41 months of fighting”
Image provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense on December 11, in which, according to Moscow, Russian soldiers display the national flag in Siversk, Donetsk. Credit: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service / AP / Profimedia
The General Staff of the Ukrainian army announced on Tuesday that its troops had withdrawn from Siversk, a town in eastern Ukraine, as Russian forces stepped up their offensive along the front line, according to Reuters and AFP.
Moscow claimed capture of the city of Donetsk, a heavily besieged region, nearly two weeks ago when Russian Army Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov reported the victory to President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting.
The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, wrote on Sunday that “Russian forces may have captured Siversk – a town with a pre-war population of less than 11,000 – after 41 months of fighting”.
In a statement on Tuesday, the General Staff of the Ukrainian army said it had withdrawn soldiers from the city to protect their lives, but claimed they had inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy.
“The invaders were able to advance due to a significant numerical advantage and constant pressure from small assault groups in difficult weather conditions,” the statement said.
There are still battles in the area
The Ukrainian army is still fighting around the town of Siversk, and it remains within range of Ukraine's weapons, according to the General Staff.
The Russian army has slowly but steadily swept through areas of eastern Ukraine and gained ground against outnumbered and resourced Ukrainian forces, with some of the fiercest fighting taking place in Donetsk.
Encouraged by the recent progress on the front, Vladimir Putin recently threatened that Russia is ready to step up its offensive and “liberate its territories” by military means if Ukraine and its “masters” abandon the negotiations.
Putin announces that Russia is ready to accelerate the offensive and that “it will liberate its territories by military means, if Ukraine and its masters abandon the negotiations”
The Donetsk region is the main sticking point in US-led war settlement talks, and Ukraine says it is being pressured to cede to Russia and the area Moscow's forces still do not control.
Siversk is located about 30 kilometers east of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the last two large cities that the Ukrainians still control in Donetsk, an industrial and mining region that Moscow has declared annexed.
