Monday 4 July 2022 09:51 AM Zelensky's starkest message for Ukraine yet as Putin takes ENTIRE Luhansk region trends now
Volodymyr Zelensky has again desperately pleaded for more weaponry after Russian forces seized Ukraine's final stronghold of Luhansk, capturing the entire eastern region.
The Ukrainian army retreated from the strategic city of Lysychansk following weeks of fierce fighting, marking a decisive breakthrough for Vladimir Putin's men in a major flashpoint of the four-month war.
Lysychansk had been the final holdout in the Luhansk area of the eastern Donbas region and Moscow's capture of it frees up Russian forces to advance on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in neighbouring Donetsk.
In an address late Sunday, Zelensky vowed Kyiv would fight on and ensure the military had 'the most modern weapons', appealing for more long-range HIMARS rocket launchers supplied by the US.
He said: 'It requires many negotiations, but we will ensure such a supply. Ukraine will reach the level when the fire superiority of the occupiers will be levelled.
'The fact that we protect the lives of our soldiers, our people, plays an equally important role. We will rebuild the walls, we will win back the land, and people must be protected above all else.'
Fire burns at a shopping mall after it was struck by a missile in Sloviansk as Russia steps up its assault on the Donetsk region after seizing Luhansk
In the latest series of gains, Russia has seized the Luhansk region and has now increased its bombardment of Siversk and Sloviansk. Ukraine has been accused of targeting civilians within the Russian border city of Belgorod although this has been denied by Kyiv
Destruction from a missile attack is seen in Bakhmut City in the Donbas region as Volodymyr Zelensky desperately appeals for more weapons
A destroyed building is seen in a residential area near Irpin, on Vokzalnaya street, which links the Ukrainian cities of Bucha and Irpin
First responders work on the scene where a school was destroyed by early morning shelling in Kharkiv which has been pummelled by Putin's forces
People look over the wreckage after a missile stuck a shopping mall in Sloviansk in a series of strikes on Sunday afternoon, killing civilains
Yuriy Sak, advisor to the defence minister, repeated Zelensky's plea to the West and said the future of the war depends on the military equipment they receive.
He told the BBC's Today programme: 'It is a setback but it's a setback that we will turn back in the future, we will recover Lysychansk as well as all other Ukrainian cities
'It very much depends on how quickly Ukraine will receive all the heavy weaponry we are requesting from our international partners because in the east of Ukraine we are very significantly outnumbered and outgunned.
'Russians are using tens of thousands of artillery rounds a day to destroy Ukrainian cities so this is why we are relying on the military assistance from our international partners and we hope this will be forthcoming as soon as possible.'
He added: 'During the negotiations which our minister of defence holds almost on a daily basis with our international partners, we are always reassured that all steps are taken to provide this military assistance as soon as possible.'
A bombed-out car sits alone on a rubble-littered road in Lysychansk, Luhansk region yesterday as Russian forces claimed the city
A Russian Ka-52 'Alligator' attack helicopter flies near a heavily damaged building over the weekend amid Russia's capture
A Ukrainian army handout shows a Russia-destroyed residential building in Lysychansk yesterday
The Lysychansk palace of culture is bombed out and battle-scarred after weeks of fighting
The Russians now control about half of Donetsk, the second province of Donbas, and forces are focusing their efforts on pushing toward the line of Siversk, Fedorivka and Bakhmut in the region.
The Ukrainian army said in a statement announcing its retreat from Lysychansk: 'The continuation of the defence of the city would lead to fatal consequences' in the face of Russia's
