Ukrainian commander says not all troops were evacuated from Lysivka
Brigadier General Yevhen Lasiychuk, commander of the 7th Corps of the Air Assault Forces, said that not all personnel of the 25th Separate Air Assault Sicheslav Brigade withdrew from Lysivka in Donetsk Oblast. He denied that the settlement was encircled by Russian forces, attributing the evacuation difficulties to a rapidly expanding Russian drone threat and the resulting zone of continuous fire.
Key points
- Lasiychuk said some personnel of the 25th Separate Air Assault Sicheslav Brigade did not leave Lysivka on the Pokrovsk front
- The number of troops who did not evacuate was not disclosed
- The 25th Brigade held Lysivka, which blocked the main road between Selydove and Pokrovsk
- Russian forces attempted to pass through Lysivka daily using armored vehicles, columns and infantry
- The withdrawal was preceded by a decision to shift to a maneuver defense and occupy more northern positions and strongpoints
- Lasiychuk attributed the difficult evacuation and logistics to the accumulation of Russian drone forces and an expanded zone of fire
- Holding Lysivka allowed Ukrainian forces to align the line of contact, establish another defense echelon and move a unit there
Why it matters
The incomplete evacuation from Lysivka indicates possible losses among Ukrainian servicemen, although the scale has not been disclosed. The settlement's strategic value came from blocking the main road between Selydove and Pokrovsk, through which Russian forces attempted to pass daily. Holding it also enabled Ukrainian troops to align the line of contact, construct the next echelon of defense and relocate a unit, while Russian drone concentration made resupply and evacuation nearly impossible.
What happened
The 25th Separate Air Assault Sicheslav Brigade held Lysivka on the Pokrovsk front in Donetsk Oblast. According to Yevhen Lasiychuk, commander of the 7th Corps of the Air Assault Forces, not all of the personnel holding the settlement managed to leave it, and he did not disclose how many remained or were lost.
Lysivka's significance was its position on the main road between Selydove and Pokrovsk. Lasiychuk said Russian forces tried every day to pass through it using armored vehicles, columns and dismounted infantry. When they began bypassing the settlement from the flanks, the Ukrainian command decided to shift to a maneuver defense, occupy more northern positions and establish strongpoints there.
Lasiychuk rejected the claim that the loss of Lysivka was caused by an encirclement by Russian troops. Instead, he linked the inability to evacuate and supply the garrison to the rapid growth and accumulation of Russian drone forces, which expanded the zone of fire and made logistics to the settlement almost impossible.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting focuses on the incomplete evacuation of the 25th Brigade, the reasons evacuation and logistics became unfeasible, and Lysivka's operational role in organizing the defense. The account is grounded directly in the commander's explanations, including his denial that the settlement was encircled.
Background
After Russian forces began bypassing Lysivka from the flanks, Ukrainian command decided to move to a maneuver defense and occupy more northern positions and strongpoints. Lasiychuk denied that the settlement's loss resulted from being encircled by Russian troops.