Ukrainian forces will retreat from the key city of Severodonetsk, which is mostly occupied by Russia, after being "smashed to pieces," the region's governor announced on Friday.
"Remaining in positions smashed to pieces over many months just for the sake of staying there does not make sense," Governor Serhiy Hayday said in a televised address, adding that Ukraine's soldiers "have already received the order to move to new positions."
Severodonetsk—which had been one of the last Ukrainian strongholds—has been a main target for Russian troops, who launched their invasion on late February and have shifted focus to the Luhansk and Donetsk provinces in the entire Donbas region after they failed to capture the capital of Kyiv. Once Severodonetsk falls, the only city in the region that will remain under Ukrainian control is Lysychansk.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously stressed the importance of the city's control, saying in an address this month that, "in many respects, the fate of the Donbas is being decided" in Severodonetsk.
"It is vital to hold on there, in Donbas. The more losses the enemy suffers there, the less power they will have to continue the aggression," Zelensky reiterated last week.
On Friday, Hayday, a top military commander in eastern Ukraine, said officials made the decision to retreat "because the number of dead in unfortified territories may grow every day. All the infrastructure of the city is completely destroyed. It makes no sense to stay."
In a Telegram post, Hayday added that 90 percent of Severodonetsk had been damaged and that 80 percent of the city's houses will have to be demolished.
Hayday had been hopeful that as soon as long-range artillery arrived, Ukrainian forces would "be able to conduct duels with Russian artillery, our special forces can clean up the city in two to three days."
But delays in the delivery of military supplies left Ukraine unable to meet the urgent demand.
Last week, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar confirmed that troops have received only 10 percent of the military assistance promised by Ukraine's Western allies, noting that Russian soldiers have the capability to fire 10 times as many artillery rounds as Ukrainian forces.
Despite the announcement of additional U.S. aid, the latest package from President Joe Biden isn't expected to reach Ukraine for several months, Pentagon officials said last week.
"No matter how much effort Ukraine makes, no matter how professional our army, we will not be able to win this war without the help of Western partners," Malyar said on June 14.
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Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more
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