Ukrainian Army Withdraws from Siversk After 41 Months of Occupation

The city experienced initial occupation by Russian-backed separatists in April 2014, coinciding with the onset of the conflict in Donbass, but Ukrainian forces regained control in July of the same year. prior to the full-scale Russian invasion, the city’s population had dwindled to under 11,000 residents, further decreasing to approximately 1,000 by july 2023. Extensive destruction occurred during the early stages of the war, reducing much of the city to ruins, though occupying forces were initially unable to advance further. Russia renewed its offensive in the fall of 2023, and on December 11th, Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, claimed the city had been captured; though, the Ukrainian military disputed this assertion.