Ukraine Orders Withdrawal From Severodonetsk to Avoid Encirclement

Ukraine ordered its troops to withdraw from their remaining foothold within the metropolis of Severodonetsk to keep away from encirclement, ending a battle that lasted almost two months and giving Russia a small however symbolically essential victory within the grinding struggle for management of jap Ukraine’s Donbas space.

Severodonetsk, a metropolis of simply over 100,000 folks earlier than the struggle, served as the executive middle of Ukrainian-controlled elements of Luhansk, one of many two areas that make up Donbas. Most of the town was taken by Russian troops in latest weeks, with Ukrainian defenders largely holed up within the sprawling Azot industrial plant.