Conflicts & War

Russian forces claim to have encircled Lysychansk

Moscow, Jul 2 (EFE).- Russian forces and their separatist allies in eastern Ukraine on Saturday claimed to have fully encircled the city of Lysychansk, Russian news agencies reported.

The claim by Andrei Marochko, a spokesman for the separatists, was published by Tass and Interfax.

“Today the Luhansk popular militia and Russian forces occupied the last strategic heights, which allows us to confirm that Lysychansk is completely encircled,” he said in a statement.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, whose troops are fighting in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, also told Tass that the city had been blocked off.

“It’s fair to say that a full-scale offensive on the city will begin soon. The enemy has nowhere to go because all routes in and out of the city are blocked,” he told Tass.

Ukrainian authorities cast doubt on the claims.

Ukrainian National Guard spokesman Ruslan Muzychuk told local TV that the city remained in Ukrainian hands and had not been encircled by Russian troops, Ukrinform reported. EFE

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