Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the strategically crucial city of Siversk in eastern Ukraine, conceding ground to Russian advances after weeks of intense fighting. The move, announced Tuesday, comes as Russia continues a sustained offensive in the Donetsk region, aiming to consolidate control and potentially advance on key urban centers. Siversk had been one of the last major settlements hindering a direct Russian push toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, and its fall represents a further incremental gain for Moscow’s forces.
Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the eastern city of Siversk, a key strategic point that Russian troops had claimed to seize less than two weeks prior. The move comes as Russia continues to press its offensive in the Donetsk region, seeking to advance on larger cities like Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
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Kyiv announced on Tuesday, December 23, that its forces had withdrawn from Siversk, a city in eastern Ukraine, in the face of ongoing Russian assaults. Russian forces had previously claimed to have captured the city on December 11.
“In order to preserve the lives of our soldiers and the combat capability of our units, Ukrainian defenders withdrew from the town,” the Ukrainian military’s General Staff said in a statement on Telegram. According to the statement, Russian troops “managed to advance due to their numerical superiority and the constant pressure exerted by small assault groups in difficult weather conditions.”
Russia had claimed the capture of Siversk on December 11, a key location that stood as one of the last obstacles preventing Russian forces from approaching the larger cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in the Donetsk region. With a pre-war population of approximately 11,000, Siversk has been largely destroyed. Russian forces had approached the city from three directions starting in September, before breaking through Ukrainian defenses between November and December, according to military analysts.
Russia, which currently occupies roughly 19% of Ukrainian territory, has accelerated its advances in Ukraine in recent months, claiming the capture of the key logistical hub of Pokrovsk. In November, Russia made its largest gains on the Ukrainian front in a year, according to an analysis by the Associated Press of data provided by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP), both American think tanks specializing in conflict studies. Simultaneously, Ukraine and Russia are engaged in separate negotiations with the United States regarding the American plan aimed at ending the war.
