The allied forces of the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) and Russia are close to taking full control of Lisichansk, believed to be the last city still held by Kyiv in eastern Ukraine.
Two days ago, LPR's Ambassador to Russia Rodion Miroshnik had announced that the territory of Ukraine's biggest oil refinery – the Lisichansk oil refinery – has been taken under control of "union forces" and half of the city was under their control.
Vitaly Kiselev, an aide to the LPR interior minister, told Russian news agency Tass on Saturday that the "liberation" of Lisichansk will happen in the coming days.
"Full liberation of Lisichansk is being prepared for the coming days. Regardless of how many Ukrainian troops are there, regardless of who their commanders are, regardless of whether anyone there has the courage to stand up and walk towards us, denazification and demilitarization are inevitable for everyone," he said.
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, besides the Lisichansk oil refinery, the Russian military has also taken control of the Matrosskaya mine, the Gelatin plant and the settlement of Topolovka.
"The Ukrainian army's failures on the battlefield are leading to a growing number of deserters and those who are escaping combat operations. A disorganized retreat of some Ukrainian troops from Lisichansk is being observed," said Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson.
