“Every meter of the town was costly for them”: Ukraine withdraws from Siversk after bleeding Russia for 41 months

Ukrainian forces withdrew from the town of Siversk, in Donetsk Oblast, after intense fighting, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on December 23, citing heavy enemy pressure and superior Russian numbers and equipment.

Deliberate withdrawal to preserve forces

The statement said Russian forces had gained ground in Siversk despite suffering significant losses, with advances attributed to their numerical advantage and persistent small-unit assaults under difficult weather conditions. 

Ukrainian forces, the General Staff said, deliberately withdrew to preserve the lives of soldiers and maintain the combat readiness of units.

“The defensive operations in Siversk exhausted the enemy; every meter of the town was costly for them,” the General Staff said.

41 months of Russian assaults

Siversk, a town with a pre-invasion population of under 11,000, had been a focal point of Russian offensive operations since mid-2022. 

According to the Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces spent 41 months advancing just 12 kilometers from Lysychansk to Siversk's western boundary. 

Russia deployed approximately 80,000 troops to the Siversk axis, including elite airborne forces and Chechen Akhmat units, viewing the town as a stepping stone toward a broader assault on Kramatorsk, the largest Ukrainian-held city in Donbas.

Town remains under Ukrainian fire

The town remains under Ukrainian fire control. Forces continue to strike Russian troops within Siversk, targeting their logistics and blocking further advances, while operations continue along the Sloviansk axis. 

Ukrainian units are reportedly taking measures to reduce the offensive potential of Russian formations and prevent additional territorial gains.