Ukrainian troops to retreat from strategic city

Ukrainian officials ordered their troops to leave Severodonetsk on Friday, marking the abandonment of a city in the Luhansk province that has been considered key in the fight for the eastern Donbas region. Russia had been trying to take over the neighboring city of Lysychansk in an attempt to encircle the Ukrainian fighters. The battle has continued for almost two months. Russian airstrikes have destroyed about 80 percent of the buildings in Severodonetsk, and Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said it makes no sense to stay in a destroyed and dangerous position.

What area does Ukraine still control? Ukraine holds about 5 percent of the Luhansk province and half of the Donetsk province, which together make up the Donbas region. Lysychansk is the only city in Luhansk still under Ukrainian control. In the fight for Severodonetsk, Russia destroyed all of the bridges between it and Lysychansk, making it almost impossible to resupply Ukrainian forces. There is one bridge left linking Lysychansk to the rest of the Ukraine-controlled territory.

Dig deeper: Read Marc LiVecche’s column in WORLD Opinions about injustice, and the possibility of redemption, on the front lines.