The Ukrainian military said its forces have withstood Russian attacks in several areas along the front lines in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, while fighting continues around the city of Lisichansk.
Serhi Heyde, the head of the Luhansk region’s military administration, said the Russians were attacking Lysichansk from the southern and south-west directions.
“There is a fight going on between Vovchoyarivka and the oil refinery. They are trying to block the city from this side and control transport connections with the Donetsk region,” he said on Tuesday.
Some references: Ukraine’s military has said the area around Vovchoyarivka – adjacent to the main highway – is the center of the current fighting. Were the Ukrainians to lose this area, Lysychansk would be virtually surrounded.
Russian advance halted: Ukraine’s General Staff said on Tuesday that Russian attempts to access the highway in the area where the Luhansk and Donetsk regions meet had been foiled.
“The Ukrainian troops successfully suppressed all these attempts and forced the enemy to retreat,” the General Staff said.
Lysychansk destruction: Heyde said on Monday that Russian shelling had caused widespread destruction in Lisichansk and confirmed that eight people had been killed in a rocket attack lined up at a water tank.
“There was a lot of damage to high-rise buildings and private houses on June 27,” he said. “Several shots were fired in some areas of the city.”
Buckmouth: There was also heavy shelling by Russian forces trying to advance towards the city of Bakhmut, an important location for the defense of Ukraine, about 50 kilometers (30 mi) southwest of Lisichansk.