Sievierodonetsk Raion

Day 713 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

The Kremlin yesterday blasted a Ukrainian strike on a bakery in the occupied eastern Ukrainian city of Lysychansk, which officials say killed at least 28 people including a child on Feb. 3.

The strike came almost two years into Russia's grinding offensive in Ukraine, where the frontline has barely moved in months, but attacks have intensified this winter.

Day 711 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Ukrainian officials have called on civilians to urgently evacuate the city of Sloviansk as Russian troops press towards it in their campaign to secure the Donbas region.

Sloviansk has been subjected to "massive" Russian bombardment in recent days, with at least two people killed and seven others wounded in an attack on a marketplace Tuesday.

As Reuters reports, Russia captured the city of Lysychansk on Sunday, ending its offensive on one of the two areas that make up the bulk of Donbas, an industrially developed region in eastern Ukraine.

According to him, Ukrainian forces have now taken up new defensive positions in the Donetsk region, where they still control major cities. In addition, they plan to launch a counteroffensive in the south of the country.

Defense and security analyst Michael Clark commented on the fall of Lysychansk into Russian hands and the consequences it will have on the development of the situation in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian army retreated from the strategic city of Lysychansk on July 3, as Russia claimed a major victory by seizing control of the entire eastern Lugansk region.

The Ukrainian withdrawal followed weeks of fierce fighting and marked a decisive breakthrough for Moscow's forces more than four months after their invasion and after turning their focus away from the capital Kyiv.

"Continuing the defense of the city would lead to fatal consequences. In order to preserve the lives of the defenders of Ukraine, a decision was made to withdraw," said a statement published on social networks, reports Reuters.

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Kyiv: The last bastion in eastern Ukraine may fall