Ukrainian troops in Sievierodonetsk ordered to retreat to new positions – Luhansk Military Administration

IRYNA BALACHUK – FRIDAY, 24 JUNE 2022, 09:14

Ukrainian troops defending Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast have been ordered to retreat to better-fortified positions.

Source: Serhii Haidai, head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration, on air for the Dom TV channel on 24 June

Quote: "Unfortunately, we will have to withdraw our guys [Ukrainian troops defending Sievierodonetsk - ed.]. We discussed this before, there’s no need to call this a ‘betrayal’, no-one is abandoning our guys, no-one will allow them to get encircled.

The circumstances now are such that it makes no sense to continue holding the current positions, which have been destroyed over the many months of hostilities. Each day the number of soldiers killed at these poorly fortified positions will rise."

Details: According to the head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration, these are the factors that shaped the decision to order the defenders of Sievierodonetsk to "retreat to new positions, new fortified areas, and properly conduct full-scale hostilities and inflict losses on the enemy from there."

It is worth noting that as of the morning of 24 June, neither the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, nor the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence have said anything about an order to retreat.

Earlier:

• On 23 June Serhii Haidai, head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration, said that Ukrainian defence forces in Sievierodonetsk might retreat to better-fortified positions.
• On 24 June, Haidai said that Ukrainian Defence Forces had halted the advance of Russian troops near Borivske in Luhansk Oblast and repelled an attack on Lysychansk, but Russian occupying forces were able to capture Mykolaivka. Fighting for the city of Sievierodonetsk continues.