Today, Sunday, Ukraine acknowledged the withdrawal of its forces from the city of Lyschansk in the Lugansk district of the Donbass region (east), and talked about the destruction of a Russian base in Zaporozhye (south), and this comes hours after Russia announced its control of Luhansk.

While Germany expected Russian President Vladimir Putin to be planning a protracted war, Washington accused him of not being ready to end the conflict through negotiations.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed President Vladimir Putin of the control of the entire territory of Luhansk Province, which together with Donetsk makes up the Donbass region.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that Shoigu informed the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, to liberate the entire territory of the "Luhansk People's Republic" from Ukrainian forces.

Shoigu explained that as a result of the military operations, the Russian army, in cooperation with the forces of the Luhansk Republic, had imposed full control over the city of Lyschansk and a number of neighboring areas and population centers.

For its part, the Ukrainian General Staff announced the withdrawal of its forces from the city of Lysichansk, and justified this by the Russian superiority and the preservation of the lives of its soldiers.

"Our forces were forced to withdraw from the front lines and positions in the city of Lyschansk," she added.

In this context, the governor of Ukraine's Lugansk region, Sergey Gaidai, said that the entry of Russian forces into the city of Lyschansk came after a bombing he described as brutal, adding that the city was subjected to more bombardment than the bombing of the city of Severodonetsk before it fell into the hands of the Russian forces.

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov published videos - on his channel in the Telegram application - that he said were of Chechen soldiers inside the city of Lyschansk after controlling it.

The pictures show soldiers carrying Chechen flags and others bearing the insignia of victory as they roam the streets of the city and meet some of its residents.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that it was "impossible to say that Lysekhansk is under Russian control."


fierce battles

In the Donetsk region of the Donbass region, the mayor of the city of Slovyansk Vadim Lyakh said that at least 6 people were killed and more than 15 were injured - today, Sunday - in Russian bombing that targeted 15 residential areas in the city.

Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that violent battles took place between the Russian and Ukrainian armies in the northern axis of the city of Sloviansk, Donetsk Province, which left great material damage to property.

It is noteworthy that the Russian forces are only about 15 kilometers north of the city of Sloviansk, while the "Seversky Donets" River constitutes a geographical boundary separating the locations of the two sides.

In the field developments also, the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, said that the Ukrainian forces carried out more than 30 air strikes on a Russian base inside the city located on the outskirts of Zaporozhye (southern Ukraine) and destroyed it.

And the Ukrainian army announced that it had destroyed one of the largest Russian military bases, killing a number of Russian soldiers and damaging a military plane.

The Ukrainian army confirmed that it had recaptured the town of Ivanvka in the northern countryside of Kherson Province (south) after continuous strikes.

He added that he has so far recovered more than 27 towns in the countryside of Kherson (south), stressing that he continues to press for the restoration of other towns in the western countryside adjacent to Mykolaiv, and the eastern countryside adjacent to the Zaporozhye countryside controlled by the Russian forces.

AFU fired at Belgorod, five civilians were killed.

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— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) July 3, 2022

Explosions in Russia

The effects of the war extended to the Russian border, as Reuters reported that at least 3 people were killed in explosions that rocked the Russian city of Belgorod, near the border with Ukraine.

 The Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian forces launched a raid on residential areas in Belgorod and Kursk with "Tochka-U" missiles, and the Russian defenses managed to destroy them in the air.

As for the Ukrainian army, it said that a Russian missile exploded in Belgorod, setting fire to private homes.


protracted war

Politically, German Chancellor Olaf Schulz said - on Sunday - that his country is discussing with its allies security guarantees for Ukraine, in preparation for the post-war period.

Schultz added - in statements to a German channel - that these security guarantees will not reach the level of those obtained by any member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

He added that this issue is being carefully prepared on the diplomatic front, in preparation for the day the war ends.

The German chancellor said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is aware of the profound effects of the sanctions imposed on the Russian economy.

But he expected - in an interview with the American network "CBS" (CBS) - Putin's ability to continue the war in Ukraine for a long time.

"No one knows how long Putin will continue his war in Ukraine and he has long planned it," he said.

In a related context, the German chancellor said that his country intends to take measures to prevent the explosion of energy prices with the reduction of Russian gas supplies to Germany.

As for US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, he said today that Putin has not shown any willingness to end the war on Ukraine through negotiations.

On the other hand, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the West is betting on the continuation of hostilities in Ukraine.

Peskov said - in statements to the Russian Channel One - that the West, led by the United States, does not allow the Ukrainians to think or talk about peace, and that interest in initiatives aimed at calming the situation has receded.

Peskov expressed his hope that the course of negotiations would return, noting that the Ukrainians would then have to understand the Russian conditions.