Ukraine War Breaking News: Russia Takes New Territories

Video summary of the war Ukraine - Russia: June 21 10:19

(CNN Spanish) --

Russia remains firm in its goal of taking control of key regions in eastern Ukraine, and in recent hours it seized several communities near the city of Lisychansk, the only urban agglomeration in the region. of Luhansk that they do not yet control.

In addition, Russian forces bombed areas near Kharkiv in the northeast in recent hours, where 15 people were reported killed by artillery strikes.

See the main news of the war this Wednesday, June 22.

Ukraine loses territories near Lisichansk

The Ukrainian authorities have acknowledged the loss of several communities near the city of Lisychansk, the only urban agglomeration in the Luhansk region that they do not yet control.

"The Russians are approaching Lisychansk, entrenching themselves in nearby towns. The city is being bombarded by aircraft," said Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk regional military administration.

Hayday said the situation was "difficult" in the area south of Lisychansk.

"The enemy entered Toshkivka, which allowed him to increase fire on other settlements."

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Russian forces were entrenched in several towns immediately south of Lisychansk, such as Ustynivka, Pidlisne, and Myrna Dolyna, and were advancing on Bila Hora.

"It's not easy for our soldiers to hold the defense," Hayday said.

His comments suggest that the Ukrainian defenses around Lisichansk have begun to give way to much greater Russian firepower after weeks of bombardment.

Hayday said "street fighting continues in Severodonetsk," where Ukrainian defenders continue to occupy a part of the Azot chemical plant.

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But he said the Russians were trying to surround Ukrainian units in some towns (such as Borivske) near Lisychansk and Severodonetsk.

Military analysts have said the risk of a Russian advance from the south is that some Ukrainian troops could be cut off.

"Lysychansk is now under heavy fire. The city is shelled from artillery, tanks and aircraft. There are at least three civilians injured there, several policemen were injured," Hayday said.

Police and security services buildings were also hit by missiles.

Throughout its campaign, Russia has used the tactic of heavy bombardment before attempting to take territory.

Intense Russian bombardment in Kharkiv and Donetsk

The Housing and Community School building damaged in a recent shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on June 21.

(Sergey Kozlov/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that Russia had up to three tactical groups of battalions and airborne units in the border areas as possible reinforcements.

He said there had been heavy shelling of settlements near Kharkiv in the northeast.

This Tuesday the death of 15 people was reported due to artillery attacks in the area.

In the Donetsk region

: The General Staff said that Russian forces were using multiple launch rocket systems "in order to create conditions for the resumption of the offensive on the city of Sloviansk".

Bakhmut

– He also said that the Ukrainian units had prevented the Russians from advancing on Bakhmut from the south.

The front lines:

Elsewhere on the active front lines, which stretch for more than 1,000 kilometers, the Ukrainians reported shelling settlements in the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions.

The head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said six children had been injured and one person killed in the shelling of Chasiv Yar.

He said the cluster munitions had landed on a beach at a lake in the city.

Zelensky calls for a seventh package of EU sanctions as the bloc considers Ukraine as a candidate

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said "a seventh package of sanctions from the European Union is necessary as soon as possible" in his late-night speech on Tuesday.

It came as all 27 EU leaders meet this week to make a final decision on formally granting Ukraine candidate status.

"I will do my best so that the historic decision of the European Union is adopted. This is important for us," Zelensky said.

Zelensky also discussed Russia's "anti-European policy" and Moscow's response to Lithuania's blockade of sanctioned goods from Europe in the Russian European exclave of Kaliningrad.

"Russia must feel a constant increase in pressure for the war and for its aggressive anti-European policy," he said.

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"Another Russian threat to Lithuania, another wave of energy pressure, another round of lies from Russian officials about the food crisis are grounds for agreeing on the seventh sanctions package."

Where is Kaliningrad?

The exclave is Russia's westernmost territory, and the only part of the country surrounded by EU states.

Lithuania sits between Kaliningrad and Russia's ally Belarus, while Poland borders it to the south.

CNN reported on Monday that Lithuanian Railways, the state-owned railway company, had notified Russia that transit trains carrying goods subject to EU sanctions would no longer be allowed to pass.

Russia's reaction

: Moscow responded furiously to the Lithuanian move.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday described the measure as unprecedented and illegal.

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"It's part of a lockdown, of course," he said.

The Lithuanian Chargé d'Affaires in Moscow was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry and told that if the transit of goods to the Kaliningrad region is not fully restored, Russia reserves the right to take measures to protect its national interests. .

But the EU, whose sanctions Lithuania applies by blocking transit, has backed its member state.

Russia uses "kamikaze" drones in the cities of the Sumy region

Russia has started using drones in cross-border attacks on the northern Sumy region of Ukraine, according to Dmytro Zhyvytskyy, head of the regional military administration.

Zhyvytskyy said that on Tuesday the community town of Krasnopillia was shelled 4 times with mortars, and there was also "a kamikaze drone attack on the territory of the community."

Four people were injured, he said.

"In general the situation is quite tense. Yesterday the communities and the territories along the border were bombarded with different types of weaponry with self-propelled artillery units, mortars, MLRS."

He said that this Wednesday morning another border town — Shostka — was under mortar and heavy artillery shelling.

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