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Less than a week after 100 days of war in Ukraine, the situation in Donbas is "very difficult".

This was admitted by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, once the self-proclaimed pro-Russian separatist "republic" of Donetsk (east) had "taken full control" of the key town of Lyman, with the "support" of the Russian army.

After the unsuccessful offensive on kyiv and Kharkiv (northeast) at the beginning of the war launched by Russia on February 24, Russian forces are concentrated in eastern Ukraine, with the declared objective of taking full control of the Donbas mining basin , partially controlled since 2014 by pro-Russian separatists supported by Moscow.

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07.45

The city of Severodonetsk "is currently surrounded"

After the unsuccessful offensive on kyiv and Kharkov (northeast) at the beginning of the war launched by Russia on February 24, Russian forces concentrated in eastern Ukraine to take full control of the Donbas mining account, partially controlled since 2014 by pro-Russian separatists backed by Moscow.

A police chief in the pro-Russian breakaway republic of Luhansk, quoted by the Ria Novosti agency, said on Friday that "the city of Severodonetsk is currently surrounded" and that Ukrainian forces are trapped.

Citing the situation, the governor of Lugansk, Sergei Gaidai, assured by Telegram that it is a mistake to say that the region will fall under "total control of the Russian enemy" in "one, two or three days", reports AFP.

"Most likely they won't" take it, but "perhaps to avoid being surrounded, there could be an order for our troops to withdraw," he admitted.

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07.30

The strategic town of Lyman falls and Zelensky promises that "the Donbas will be Ukrainian"

Kiev has vowed to "do everything" to defend the Donbas region, where the Russian army has stepped up its offensive and led Ukrainian forces to consider

a strategic withdrawal

to avoid being encircled.

"The situation in Donbas is very, very difficult," Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky acknowledged in a video message.

"We protect our land and do everything to reinforce" the defense of this region

, he assured.

For its part, the territorial defense of the self-

proclaimed pro-Russian separatist "republic" of Donetsk

(east) announced by Telegram that it took

"complete control" of the key town of Lyman

with "the support" of the Russian army.

Neither Russian nor Ukrainian forces initially commented on the information, which AFP was unable to independently verify.

But Zelensky replied that "if the occupiers think that Lyman and Severodonetsk will be theirs, they are wrong.

Donbas will be Ukrainian

. "

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