Lysychansk civilians have been urged to leave immediately, as Russian forces are gaining ground in Ukraine’s last city in the eastern Luhansk region.
“Because of the real threat to life and health, we call for an immediate evacuation. The situation in the city is very difficult,” Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk regional military administration, told Telegram.
He promised civilians that they would be cared for in other Ukrainian cities.
Lysychansk videos suggest that some civilians are reluctant to leave their homes, regardless of who controls the city.
There are about 10,000 to 15,000 people still in Lysychansk, with only about 50 people leaving every day, according to Shybiko Valerii, head of the Ukrainian Military Administration in Lysychansk.
Local residents gather near a shelter during a military strike in Lysychansk, Ukraine, on June 17. (Oleksandr Ratushniak / Reuters)
The forces of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), which is fighting alongside the Russian army, said Monday that they are developing “a successful offensive in the Lysychansk area with the support of Russian army fire.” .
“The enemy suffered heavy losses in manpower and armored vehicles,” he told his Telegram channel.
“The people’s militia continues to liberate the territory occupied by Kyiv,” the LPR added, claiming that the village of Borivske, 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Lysychansk, is now under its control.
LPR militia officials said they had cut off two evacuation routes for Ukrainian troops from Lysychansk, according to a reporter from the state news agency Ria Novosti.
There has been intense fighting southwest of Lysychansk around Vovchoyarivka, near the main road leading west, as Russian forces aim to complete the siege of the city.