The city of Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk oblast is completely controlled by the Ukrainian authorities, as the Armed Forces maintain their defense.
This was announced during a telethon by the head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration Serhiy Haidai.
"Sievierodonetsk is completely under the control of the Ukrainian authorities. The armed forces hold the defense. The only thing is — it is very difficult. We understand that the Russians have simply given up all their forces in order to either capture Sievierodonetsk or lay siege to the entire part of Luhansk oblast, which is controlled by Ukraine," said the head of the oblast.
According to him, there are 25 battalion groups of the Russian army in the Luhansk direction, each of which has up to 500 people, i.e. a total of at least 10,000 personnel and equipment.
Currently, there are no fights directly in the city of Sievierodonetsk, all events are taking place on the outskirts.
"Sometimes the invaders can succeed, but our guys are very motivated, they stay there, there are weapons. Today we have been defending for exactly three months, and today for exactly three months they cannot pass even a small part of Luhansk oblast. We will keep it as long as necessary," Haidai said.