In the late morning (early afternoon in kyiv), doubts persisted about the situation in Lysychansk, the last bastion of the Ukrainian resistance in the Lugansk region of the Donbass, but during the day these doubts would melt away: Lysychansk is really under Russia right now. time, after the withdrawal of the Ukrainian troops.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that Moscow had obtained “full control” of this town in eastern Ukraine and that even Russian President Vladimir Putin had been informed that the Lugansk region had been “completely liberated.” for Russia.

However, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Yuriy Sak, refuted the thesis in statements to the British network BBC, in which he guaranteed that there is still no siege and a clear control of the town, admitting only the hypothesis of a temporary . withdrawal and strategic “from certain areas” to “preserve lives” and so that they can be “retaken in the future”.

However, in the middle of the afternoon, the Ukrainian armed forces confirmed the withdrawal of their troops from the city of Lysychansk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ended by confirming the fall of the city in his message published on Sunday night, but left a promise: “If the commanders of our army withdraw from certain points on the front line, where the enemy has more advantage, and this also applies to Lysychansk, it only means one thing: that thanks to our tactics and the increased supply of weapons, we will return.”

Lugansk is one of the two main regions of Donbass, where the Kremlin currently concentrates its main war efforts; the other is Donetsk.

What happened this afternoon and early tonight?

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine acknowledged that the Ukrainian troops were “forced” to leave Lysychansk. In the evening, the Ukrainian president confirmed that the Ukrainian army had withdrawn from the city of Lysychansk, but promised to reconquer the city if the West sends more weapons to Ukraine.

An intense Russian bombardment on the city of Slovakia caused six deadincluding one child, and 20 wounded.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Turkey announced that the country arrested Russian cargo ship Zhibek Zholyat the request of Ukraine, on suspicion of transporting stolen grain.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is visiting Ukraine and took advantage of the press conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce more military aid to Ukraine from Australia and new sanctions on Russia.

EITHER Pope Francisco made a new call for peace in Ukraine and said that the world needs a peace “that is not based on the balance of arms and reciprocal fear.”

EITHER german chancellorOlaf Scholz recalled that the sanctions imposed on Russia for the annexation of Crimea and support for Donbas separatists are still in force and he was open to applying similar measures in the future.

What happened last night and this morning?

The Russian Defense Ministry assures that Moscow already has “full control” of Lysychansk, the last great city of Lugansk, in Donbass, which was not yet under Russian control. However, the Ukrainian authorities have already denied the information, and there are still no independent and reliable reports to conclude which version is correct.

Reacting to the Russian claim that the country’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had even informed Vladimir Putin that the entire Lugansk region was “completely liberated”, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Yuriy Sak, said: “For Ukrainians, the value of human life is a top priority, so we can withdraw from certain areas so that we can bring them back in the future”.

Location of Lysychansk, in the Lugansk region, eastern Ukraine (© Google Maps)

The British government published its daily update on the war in Ukraine and stated that a “constitutional solution” for the Kherson region is “probably a priority” for Russia in the short term: “Russia is likely to prioritize a pseudo-constitutional vote [referendo, previsivelmente já este outono] in an attempt to legitimize their control of the region.”

During the early morning, the Ukrainian forces will have achieved target and eliminate a Russian military base located in Melitopol, a Ukrainian city in the southeast of the country that is currently under the control of the Kremlin. The information was provided by the former Ukrainian mayor of Melitopol, currently in exile. Ivan Fedorov also claimed that “more than 30 attacks” were carried out at 3:00 am and 5:00 am (1:00 am and 3:00 am in mainland Portugal).

Also during the morning explosions in the Russian city of Belgorodlocated along the border with Ukraine, will have caused at least three dead. Local authorities suspect a new Ukrainian attack in Belgorod, which, according to the city’s governor, also damaged 39 houses (of which five were completely destroyed) and 11 residential complexes.

Earlier on Sunday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the war, which is “not over”, “not to be forgotten” and claimed that Russian forces had carried out six missile strikes in the last night alone.