In a tone that expresses an imminent defeat, the Ukrainian Security Council considered today, Monday, that “the temporary loss of the country’s territory is not a tragedy,” noting that “it is difficult to achieve major victories over Russia, but we defend well.”
The Council affirmed the readiness of the Ukrainian forces to resist Russia for a long time, pointing to the withdrawal of forces from areas in Donbass to regroup.
Warning of the loss of Donbass
These statements came hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that his country’s situation would be difficult in the event of losing the Battle of Donbass.
In an interview with the media today, Monday, the Ukrainian president added that the situation in eastern Ukraine is dangerous, recognizing Russia’s progress in Donbass.
However, he stressed at the same time the continuation of defense in the east, according to what was quoted by “Reuters” agency.
The Ukrainian position is bad.
In the same context, Serhiy Gaidai, governor of the Lugansk region, said that Ukraine’s position “slightly worsened” in the eastern city of Severodonetsk, but Kyiv’s forces defended their positions against Russia in an industrial zone as the fighting intensified.
Ukrainian forces are trying to hold on after they said they had recaptured half of the besieged city in Lugansk province, as Russian forces focused their offensive on the heart of the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.
Fighting rages in eastern Ukraine
It is noteworthy that during the past two weeks, the battles intensified in the Ukrainian east, especially in Severodonetsk, which is considered a key town in the Donbass region. Its fall will pave the way for Russian control of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, the last strongholds of Ukrainian forces in the east.
Russia aims to control the entire Donbas basin, which includes the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, after it was partially seized by pro-Moscow separatists in 2014, with the aim of opening a land corridor linking the east to the Crimea, which it annexed to its territory in the same year.
