Ukraine's military has confirmed that the eastern city of Lysychansk has fallen to Russian forces.
Smoke rises from Lysychansk during heavy fighting between Ukrainian forces with Russian troops on 1 July 2022. Photo: AFP / Anadolu Agency
"After heavy fighting for Lysychansk, the defence forces of Ukraine were forced to withdraw from their occupied positions and lines," the army general staff said.
Earlier Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said his forces had captured Lysychansk and taken full control of Luhansk region.
Ukraine's troops were outgunned there.
Its general staff said that "in order to preserve the lives of Ukrainian defenders, a decision was made to withdraw".
It said the Russians had multiple advantages in artillery, aircraft, manpower and other forces.
Earlier, the head of Russia's Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, published video apparently showing Chechen fighters in the centre of Lysychansk.
Further west, the Ukrainian-held city of Slovyansk came under heavy shelling, with at least six people killed.
It is in Donetsk region, which with Luhansk forms the industrial Donbas.
A fighter of the 6th Platov Cossack Regiment of the LPR installs the banner of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the city administration building in Lysychansk. Photo: Sputnik via AFP
Just before he launched the war, President Vladimir Putin recognised all of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent of Ukraine. Russian proxy forces began an insurgency there in 2014.
Just over a week ago Russian troops captured Severodonetsk, a city reduced to ruins by weeks of Russian bombardment.
Slovyansk and Kramatorsk are the two biggest cities in the Donetsk region still in Ukrainian hands.
The heavy Russian bombardment of Slovyansk on Sunday caused some 15 fires, Mayor Vadym Lyakh said, and video showed huge plumes of smoke rising over the city. He said it was the worst shelling there in recent time.
A video clip on Twitter showed big blasts from a distance - in Slovyansk, according to the caption. It was posted by Iuliia Mendel, ex-spokesperson for President Volodymyr Zelensky. The BBC was unable to verify the latest conditions in Slovyansk.
In other developments:
- BBC