China News Service, July 4th. Comprehensive report. On July 3, local time, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces issued a statement on social media saying that after experiencing fierce fighting, the Ukrainian army was forced to withdraw from Lisichansk.
Image source: Screenshot of the Utah News Agency report.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also confirmed the news in his speech that day, and said he would regain control of the region with the help of Western long-range weapons.
Lysichansk is located in the northwest of the Luhansk region, on the right bank of the Severo Donets River. It is one of the largest and oldest cities in the region and a large industrial center with several factories including oil refineries.
In 2010, the city's population exceeded 100,000, and the population of its residential areas exceeded 120,000.
According to previous reports, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu reported to the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Putin on the situation of complete control of the Luhansk region on the 3rd.
However, Yuri Sak, an adviser to the Ukrainian defense minister, said in an interview with the BBC that despite the Russian defense minister's statement, Lisichansk was not under the "full control" of the Russian military.