Kreminna not yet liberated but Russians command already evacuated to Rubizhne - official

Russian occupation forces’ command, under the intense pressure of the Ukrainian Army, withdrew from Kreminna to Rubizhne, 15 kilometers south of the front line.

That’s according to Serhii Haidai, chief of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, who spoke at a briefing at Ukrinform earlier today.

"The reports that our military has already liberated Kreminna or at least advanced to its outskirts are not true, but the fighting is going on near the city and I can say that the command of a certain echelon that was stationed in Kreminna has now been moved to Rubizhne," said Haidai.

Answering the moderator’s question, to what extent the Russians are able to organize a counteroffensive toward Lyman, the official confirmed that they had such plans, which were foiled by Ukrainian forces.

"They had such plans, but thanks to the Ukrainian Command, which exposed their plot and saw the entire map of military developments, Ukraine’s Defense Forces prevented the occupying troops from implementing their plans. They didn’t succeed in counteroffensive. But they are now pulling up the reserves," said the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration.

As Ukrinform reported previously, the Russians are suffering significant losses in Luhansk region. For example, about 50 seriously wounded servicemen have recently been brought to the hospital in Starobilsk. The situation in Bilovodsk is no better as more than a hundred WIAs were recently evacuated there. At the same time, local residents are practically unable to receive hospital treatment.