Russian forces seize embattled Siversk town as Ukrainian troops withdraw

The Ukrainian subject says its forces person withdrawn from ​​the battle-scarred municipality of Siversk successful the eastbound Donetsk portion aft heavy warring with Russian forces.

In a connection connected Telegram connected Tuesday, Ukraine’s General Staff said that Russian troops had a “significant advantage” successful manpower and instrumentality and had exerted changeless unit connected the defending Ukrainian troops by staging small-unit assaults successful hard upwind conditions.

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Ukraine’s determination to retreat its forces was made to “preserve the lives of our soldiers and the combat capableness of the units”, the General Staff said.

Heavy losses were inflicted connected Russian forces earlier the bid to retreat was given, and Siversk remains “under the occurrence power of our troops”, and “enemy units are being blocked to forestall their further advance,” the General Staff added.

Ukraine’s DeepState subject monitoring tract reported precocious connected Tuesday that Russian forces had occupied Siversk arsenic good arsenic Hrabovske, a colony successful Ukraine’s Sumy portion adjacent to the borderline with Russia.

Russian Lieutenant General Sergei Medvedev had told Russian President Vladimir Putin connected December 11 that troops had taken Siversk, wherever warring has been fierce successful caller months, but Ukrainian officials denied the Russian reports astatine the time.

Ukraine’s subject said astatine the clip that Russian troops were “taking vantage of unfavourable upwind conditions” to motorboat attacks, but were mostly being “destroyed connected the approaches”.

The Kyiv Independent quality tract said that, contempt Siversk’s humble size – it had a pre-war colonisation of 10,000, and now, conscionable a fewer 100 civilians stay – the municipality was cardinal to the defence of bluish Donetsk.

The municipality had helped shield the larger Sloviansk and Kramatorsk areas, “the main bastions of Ukraine’s alleged ‘fortress belt'”, which Russia has been incapable to conquer since the commencement of fighting, the Kyiv Independent said.

Donetsk is 1 of 3 Ukrainian regions astatine the centre of Russia’s territorial demands, which are the stumbling blocks to reaching an statement connected a ceasefire. Ukraine’s leaders person said they volition not concede their country’s territory taken during Moscow’s invasion.

Russian forces had already seized an estimated 19 percent of Ukrainian territory arsenic of aboriginal December, including Crimea, which Moscow annexed successful 2014, each of the Luhansk region, and much than 80 percent of Donetsk, according to the Reuters quality agency.

Russian forces besides power astir 75 percent of the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, and tiny parts of the Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, according to Reuters.

A 28-point bid plan archetypal enactment guardant by the medication of US President Donald Trump past period says that a negotiated colony would spot Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk “recognised arsenic de facto Russian, including by the US”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy precocious said that the United States is pushing for Ukraine to retreat its forces from the Donetsk portion to found a “free economical zone” successful the area, which helium said the Russian broadside is referring to arsenic a “demilitarised zone”.

People sojourn the graves of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, decorated with Christmas trees and New Year’s decorations, astatine the Lychakiv Military Cemetery, successful Lviv, Ukraine connected Tuesday [Yuriy Dyachyshyn/AFP]

Pope saddened arsenic warring continues implicit Christmas

The latest setback for Kyiv connected the battlefield came arsenic Zelenskyy said connected Tuesday that Russian forces had launched different “massive attack” connected Ukraine connected Monday night, sidesplitting astatine slightest 3 people, including a four-year-old girl, crossed 13 regions targeted with drones and missiles.

In Russia, Ukrainian drone attacks killed 4 radical successful the Belgorod portion implicit the past 2 days, section officials said.

Pope ‍Leo ‍expressed disappointment connected Tuesday that Russia had seemingly refused to hold to a ceasefire connected December 25, the day galore Christians observe Christmas.

“I volition marque ​an entreaty 1 ‌more clip to radical of goodwill to respect astatine slightest Christmas ‌Day arsenic a time of ‌peace,” Leo said, speaking to reporters extracurricular his residence successful Castel Gandolfo, Italy.

“Maybe they volition perceive to us, and determination ‌will beryllium astatine slightest 24 hours, a time of peace, ‍across the world,” helium said.

While astir radical successful Ukraine and Russia are Christians, galore are Orthodox, meaning they observe Christmas connected January 7.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced an unexpected 30-hour unilateral truce a time earlier Easter this year, a uncommon intermission successful Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine, which has present continued for adjacent to 3 years, aft Russia’s full-scale penetration successful February 2022.