It’s not a retreat. It’s a “managed retrograde.” That’s how a senior U.S. defense official, briefing reporters at the Pentagon yesterday on background, described the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Severodonetsk to Lisichansk. “So in terms of the situation in Severodonetsk, the way that I view it is the Ukrainian Armed Forces are performing a professional, tactical retrograde in order to consolidate their forces in positions that they can better defend themselves,” she said. “And I see this as occurring on the heels of their ability to continue to pin down Russian forces over a very long period of time in a very small geographic area.”
However, the accounts provided from the Russian side produce a different picture of events. L.P.R. Deputy Minister of the Interior Vitaly Kisilyov told TASS yesterday that Ukrainian troops fled Zolotoye and Gorskoye, to the south of Lisichansk, in disorder, leaving behind large quantities of supplies and equipment. “The Ukrainian troops fled. They did not simply flee, but they left their flak jackets and military equipment behind, as most of the [vehicles] would not start, as there was no fuel. They also dropped a big amount of ammunition and food,” he said. “A large number of [Ukrainian troops] were captured. Many surrendered, claiming that they had only been there for two days. It is the same old story. They would say that they are cooks, artisans or fitters. In fact, those are blatant lies and complete nonsense.”
