Ukraine’s General Staff has officially confirmed the withdrawal of Ukrainian units from Siversk in the Donetsk region.
Ukrainian military said the decision was made to preserve personnel and maintain combat capability amid extremely heavy fighting against an enemy with significant advantages in manpower and equipment.
The General Staff said the city remains under Ukrainian fire control, and that Russian forces paid a high price for their limited gains - Ukrainian defenders have severely depleted Russia’s assault units. Despite heavy losses, Russian troops continue their advance, applying constant pressure with small assault groups and exploiting difficult weather conditions.
Ukrainian forces continue striking Russian logistics, seeking to isolate individual units and prevent further advances deeper into Defense Forces positions.
Meanwhile, the situation around Myrnohrad is deteriorating. Roman Kostenko, a lawmaker and secretary of parliament’s national security committee, said Ukrainian troops there are in an “operational encirclement.”
On Radio Liberty, he emphasized this is not a classic full encirclement in which an opponent is completely blocked within a territory.
Kostenko explained that in an operational encirclement, Ukrainian units can still maneuver within a limited area, regroup and fight. However, logistics for ammunition and supplies, as well as the arrival of reinforcements, become virtually impossible because Russian forces control the supply routes.
He also stressed that only Ukraine’s General Staff can provide a definitive assessment of the situation in the area. He said his conclusions are based on monitoring projects and open-source intelligence.
