Ukraine loses key district south of Lysychansk to Russian forces: official
A woman walks past a shell crater in front of a damaged residential building in the town of Siversk, Donetsk region, June 23, amid Russia's military invasion launched on Ukraine. On the road between the towns of Siversk and Bakhmut, AFP journalist witnessed several shellings on the route, which is now the main itinerary being used to reach the city of Lysychansk, since a highway has long been under shelling. Driving out of the devastated eastern Ukrainian city of Lysychansk on June 23, the journalists twice had to jump out of cars and lie on the ground as Russian forces shelled the city's main supply road. The three shelling incidents they witnessed took place on a stretch of road approximately 5 kilometers long. AFP-Yonhap
A district south of Lysychansk in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region was "fully occupied" by Russian forces as of Friday morning, a local Ukrainian official said on television.
"Unfortunately, as of today... the entire Hirske district is occupied," Hirske's municipal head Oleksiy Babchenko said on a television broadcast. "There are some insignificant, local battles going on at the outskirts, but the enemy has entered." (Reuters)