Ukrainian forces begin withdrawing from Sievierodonetsk

Ukrainian troops have been ordered to withdraw from Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai said on Wednesday.
The city has witnessed fierce fighting for the past several months, with Ukrainian forces losing the control of most of it.
The official said Thursday that troops had pulled out of some areas around the twin city of Lysychansk, which sits just the other side of the Siverskyi Donets river to the battleground city of Sievierodonetsk.
“Remaining in positions that have been relentlessly shelled for months just doesn't make sense. They have received orders to retreat to new positions... and from there continue their operations. There is no point in staying in positions which have been destroyed over several months just for the sake of staying,” Haidai said.
“Do not spread rumors of betrayal. Nobody abandons our guys, nobody allows the encirclement of our forces,” he added.
The street fighting has turned Sievierodonetsk, once a quiet industrial city of 160,000 people, into a largely abandoned ruin.
Russian troops have damaged about 90 percent of the buildings and destroyed all three key bridges leading to the city, further complicating logistics and civilian evacuation efforts.
According to local officials, more than 2,000 civilians have been killed since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24. (ILKHA)
LEGAL WARNING: All rights of the published news, photos and videos are reserved by İlke Haber Ajansı Basın Yayın San. Trade A.Ş. Under no circumstances can all or part of the news, photos and videos be used without a written contract or subscription.
Russia has officially recognized the Islamic Emirate as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, making it the first country to formally do so since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
Shocking revelations have emerged accusing American security contractors—hired under the US-funded Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—of using live ammunition, stun grenades, and chemical agents against Palestinian civilians desperately seeking food in the besieged Gaza Strip.
A senior delegation from the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas, led by Muhammad Darwish—head of the Shura and Leadership Councils—held high-level talks with Turkish officials in Ankara this week, focusing on the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and efforts to end the Israeli aggression.
The Hamas Movement has issued a scathing condemnation of a brutal attack by the Israeli occupation army, which resulted in the martyrdom of Dr. Marwan Al-Sultan, Director of the Indonesian Hospital, along with his wife and five children.