Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] Ambassador of the LPR in Russia Miroshnik reports on the significant progress of our troops in the liberation of Lisichansk:
The assault groups of the allied forces of Russia and the LPR have already passed about a third of the length of Lisichansk and are conducting small-arms close battles in the area of ​​​​the Shakhtyor stadium.
Moving west.
On the north side of Lisichansk, near the settlement Shepilovo and Privolye, the allied forces crossed the Seversky-Donets and entrenched themselves on the right side of the river, where they are equipping bridgeheads for a further attack on the city.
Today, fighting has already been going on inside the village of Maloryazantsevo, and inside Verkhnekamenka. From the eastern side, the allied forces also entered the territory of the Linik refinery and continue to squeeze out the militants from the territory of the enterprise.
Ukrainian units are still at the refinery. Today they are from the territory of the so-called. "pits" - this is the repair shop of the refinery, they opened fire from cannon artillery and MLRS at Lisichansk. The consequences of the shelling - multiple damage to residential buildings, broken windows that overlook the refinery.
Such a rate of advance hints that the enemy is not preparing all-round defense in Lisichansk (like Mariupol), but is already actively pulling troops to Seversk in order to reduce the expected losses. In view of this, the liberation of Lisichansk already this week looks more than likely.
Miroshnik also reports that part of the APU grouping from Lysichansk has ALREADY begun to withdraw.
Groups of militants leave Lisichansk and try to break through to Seversk, where their concentration is observed.
Local residents report that they are witnessing the beginning of the withdrawal of Ukrainian armed formations from Lysichansk. Yesterday they tried to pass through Verkhnekamenka towards Seversk, but under the blows of the allied artillery and the Russian Aerospace Forces, they lost several columns.
The following attempts to break through were made by militant units through Belogorovka. The results of the attempts will be known tomorrow.
The reserve units of the VFU are being withdrawn and are trying to find escape routes from Novodruzhevka, Privolye, and Shepilovo. All of them depart towards Seversk. There, in Seversk, according to eyewitnesses, Ukrainian troops are being pulled up from Kramatorsk and the Slavic direction. According to sources immersed in the events on the other side, up to 5-7,000 Ukrainian armed units can be brought to Seversk.
Events are clearly accelerating.
The fact that they would try to withdraw through Belogorovka was obvious after the occupation of Volcheyarovka by our troops (its quick capture is really of operational importance).
Well, after ours got hooked on Verkhnekamenka, the Armed Forces of Ukraine had no choice at all - they had to break through in the conditions of fire destruction of the retreating columns. The quite understandable task of our troops is to make this withdrawal as costly as possible for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
From Russian military journalist Andrey Chervonets:
Not everyone likes the cauldron
Several columns of the Ukrainian military tried to leave the Lisichansk area last night, but were partially destroyed
"Now a whole series of columns left Lisichansk, from the suburbs, over the last night, a certain part of them was destroyed, that is, data were transmitted on them, the Aerospace Forces or artillery worked on them, and some of them were destroyed on the march," the ambassador said. Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) in Russia, Rodion Miroshnik.
To date, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the NM of the LPR have liberated 30% of Lisichansk
"At the moment, hostilities are taking place in the area of ​​the Shakhtar stadium. This is a fairly long territory that runs along the Seversky Donets. Our units have already passed part of the industrial zone - and now contact shooting battles are going on in the area where the stadium is located. It can be stated," Miroshnik said.