Ukrainian forces may have to retreat in Luhansk to avoid capture, the regional governor said.
Serhiy Gaidai said Russian troops had entered Severodonetsk, the largest city of Donbas still in Ukrainian hands.
About 90% of the city’s buildings were damaged, he added: “The Russians will not be able to capture the Luhansk region in the coming days as analysts have predicted.
“We will have enough strength and resources to defend ourselves.
“However, it is possible that in order not to be surrounded, we will have to retreat.”
In early May, Russia abandoned an attempt to capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, shifting its focus instead to the southern Donbas region, where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting since 2014.
Russian-backed warplanes on Saturday said they had taken control of Lyman, a railway hub west of Severodonetsk, but Ukraine said its forces were blocking Russian attempts to gain access. Sloviansk, in the southwest.
The British Ministry of Defense earlier said that Russian ground forces had occupied several villages in the northwest of Popasna, a town in the Severodonetsk district.
Read more:
Severodonetsk: Fear, suspicion and division of allegiance in the city where the situation is growing out of control
‘We need to contain this crowd’: Shelling increases in Donbas as Russian troops try to encircle key cities
Satellite images from Maxar show Russian artillery, armored units moving north and east of the city towards Lyman, and the aftermath of widespread shelling that damaged dozens of houses and buildings.
Massive damage can be seen in Popasna, with Russian military units deployed in the surrounding area.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remained defiant, saying in his speech in the nightly video: “If the occupiers thought that Lyman and Severodonetsk would be theirs, they were wrong.
“Donbas will be Ukrainian.”
Day 93 of the war in Ukraine
Main developments:
• EU officials hope to reach an agreement by Sunday banning Russian oil shipments – but only by sea, 75% of the bloc’s supply. Pipeline supplies will still be allowed – a compromise meant to appease Hungary
• Negotiations continue between Sweden, Finland and Turkey regarding the first two countries to become members of NATO. Turkey has so far refused to support the application
• Mr. Zelenskyy accused Russia of weaponizing the global food crisis, saying it was not ready for peace talks. Russia says Kyiv has stalled talks
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Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials say that Russia aims to impose permanent rule across the south, including Mariupol, a city now mostly in ruins.
In the Kherson area, one of the first to come under Russian control after the February invasion, Ukraine says Russia is reinforcing its position and trapping civilians with repeated shelling.
Ukraine’s governor of the region, Hennadiy Laguta, said the humanitarian situation is very serious in some areas and people find it very difficult to leave.
