kyiv announces its withdrawal from a town in Donetsk in the context of Russian advances in Ukrainian territory

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced this Tuesday its withdrawal from a town located in the province of Donetsk, within the framework of Russian advances in the midst of the invasion unleashed in February 2022 by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Intense fighting continues in Siversk. The Russian occupiers have a significant advantage in numbers and equipment and, despite considerable losses, continue their active offensive operations. To preserve the lives of our soldiers and the combat capability of the units, the Ukrainians have withdrawn from the town,” reads a statement.

The Ukrainian Army has maintained that its troops “exhausted the enemy during the battles for Siversk, and every meter of the city was ceded to the enemy at a high price,” but “the invaders managed to advance thanks to a significant numerical advantage and constant pressure from small assault groups in adverse weather conditions.”

Russia has made progress over the past few months in Ukraine, with the epicenter of progress in Donetsk. In September 2022, Moscow annexed the partially occupied provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, while it has also managed to penetrate Kharkiv, Sumi and Dnipropetrovsk, in addition to annexing the Crimean peninsula in 2014.