Perhaps the worst week for Ukraine since Mariupol’s fall.

• Lysychansk is the final city in Luhansk region that Ukraine still controls.
• Russian forces have been attempting to destroy Ukrainian defensive positions.
• Ukrainian forces are still engaged in combat in the nearby communities of Severodonetsk.

The defence of Lysychansk, the final city in the Luhansk region that Ukraine still controls, has recently grown even more precarious.

In an effort to encircle and cut off Ukrainian troops entrusted with protecting the city, Russian forces have been attempting to completely destroy Ukrainian defensive positions to the south and east of the city for weeks.

The Russians have entered many settlements south of Lysychansk in recent days, though not without suffering casualties from Ukrainian artillery fire. In fact, according to the Ukrainian military, several Russian battalion tactical groups are being combined or removed in order to regain their combat readiness.

The Russian success from the south implies they “may be able to attack Lysychansk in the coming days while avoiding a tough contested crossing of the Siverskyi Donets River,” according to the Institute for the Study of War’s most recent daily study of the battlefield.

All of the communities on the western bank of the Siverskyi Donets River that Ukrainian officials reported as lost on Wednesday are less than 10 kilometres from the city’s southern limits.

Hayday agreed that the region south of Lysychansk was “tough.” As a result of the enemy’s entry into Toshkivka, it was able to intensify its fire on nearby settlements.

He said that Russian forces were marching toward Bila Hora from various villages just south of Lysychansk, including Ustynivka, Pidlisne, and Myrna Dolyna. He said, “Maintaining the defence is not easy for our men.

Russia has employed the strategy of heavy bombardment before attempting to seize land throughout its operation. According to Hayday, after weeks of bombing, the Ukrainian positions around Lysychansk have started to give way to considerably more powerful Russian artillery.

Ukrainian forces are still engaged in combat in the nearby communities of Severodonetsk and on its outskirts, and they get an advantage from Lysychansk’s higher ground.

However, their already weakened supply routes are getting much worse, and the sheer volume of Russian artillery is destroying their defences.

After weeks of resolute fighting, the setbacks experienced in recent days have likely made this the most challenging week for the Ukrainian military since the final defenders of Mariupol capitulated.

The assaults near Lysychansk coincide with fresh Russian efforts to block the Ukrainians’ most important communication route, the highway leading west to Bakhmut. Some locations had Russian military just a few kilometres from the highway.

Many Russian units’ firepower has been expended in the Ukrainian defence of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, thwarting their attempts to advance in the nearby Donetsk region. While some of Ukraine’s strongest troops have been severely weakened by months of missile, rocket, artillery, and air bombardment, the Russians can still call upon reserves that are kept in adjacent regions of southwest Russia.

But if the Ukrainians choose to hunker down near Lysychansk, it will probably need significant Russian efforts, maybe lasting weeks. By that time, it might resemble the partially levelled cities of Severodonetsk, Popasna, and Mariupol, which are close by.

Also Read

British Prime Minister: Lack of resources could cause Russia’s momentum in Ukraine to stall

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a group of European reporters that...