Ukraine's troops retreated from disputed Svitlodarsk town, avers Regional military chief

As the war rages on unabated in Eastern Europe, Donetsk regional military administration chief Pavlo Kyrylenko claimed that Russian forces have occupied the disputed town of Svitlodarsk in the eastern Donbas area. According to a CNN report, Kyrylenko further asserted that Ukrainian troops have retreated from the place. The official said, “Today, May 24, the Russian army entered Svitlodarsk in the Donetsk region. Russian flags have already been hoisted there." 

Regional military chief Kyrylenko went on to say that Svitlodarsk was surrounded on three sides and did not receive heavy shelling, thus, a large portion of the civilian population stayed back. He added, “About 10,000 civilians remain in occupied Svitlodarsk. No more than 30% of the population left the city.” 

Furthermore, Pavlo Kyrylenko also noted, “This is not a retreat (of Ukrainian Armed Forces), but a regrouping”. He clarified that in this scenario, saving the Ukrainian military's lives and regrouping is the proper and reasonable decision. 

In addition to this, the Russian flag was placed atop the local government building in Svitlodarsk, according to pro-Russian Telegram accounts. 

In Lyman the condition is very difficult

In Lyman, a city farther north in the Donetsk area, the regional military chief characterised the condition as very difficult. He stated that it is currently under "constant fire." He further added that long ago, the invaders infiltrated the Lyman region and their main objective was to seize control of the Lyman community. “The estuary is now partially under control, they enter, then they are kicked out, heavy artillery drives in, and tanks enter the outskirts of the city to conduct shelling and occupy the entire center and the entire Lyman community,” he stated.  

Meanwhile, earlier on May 20, Kremlin announced that its forces had fully freed the besieged Azovstal steel factory in Mariupol. According to CNN, Russian Ministry of Defence spokesperson Major General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement that the final group of 531 insurgents has surrendered, referring to Ukrainian soldiers who had resisted the Russian assault on the complex for weeks. According to media reports, this came after Lieutenant Colonel Denys Prokopenko, the Ukraine commander of the Azov Regiment, had ordered the Azov Regiment to stop defending Mariupol city. 

Apart from this, the President of war-torn Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shed light on the number of casualties suffered by the Ukrainian military in the Donbas, alleging that up to 100 Ukrainian soldiers may be killed every day. The most violent fighting, according to The Guardian, is currently occurring in Luhansk, one of the two provinces that constitute the Donbas.

(Image: AP)