As an escalating barrage blasted all cities in Luhansk area, Ukrainian soldiers were pulling back from certain settlements to regroup, its governor said on Saturday, as Russia pressed its onslaught in the east.
The governor, Serhiy Gaidai, emphasised in televised remarks that the pullback to new defensive lines intended to save units.
‘It’s unpleasant that they’re leaving our settlements,’ he added, ‘but it’s not a tragedy.’
Russia was attempting to gain full control of the Donetsk and Luhansk areas and secure a land connection to Crimea, according to Ukraine’s military, which said it was partially blocking the northeastern city of Kharkiv in updates on Friday and early Saturday.
Russian-backed separatists held sections of Donetsk and Luhansk, which make up the Donbas, before the Russian invasion on February 24. On Friday, a Russian general stated that Moscow desired complete control over Donbas as well as southern Ukraine, implying that Russia’s goals are more expansive than previously admitted.
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