Ukraine ordered its troops to withdraw from its remaining foot in the city of Severodnetsk to avoid encirclement, ending the nearly two-month-long fighting and allowing Russia to fight for control of the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine in a short but peaceful war. Symbolically gave a significant victory.
Before the war, Severodonetsk, a city of over 100,000 people, served as the administrative center of the Ukrainian-controlled parts of Luhansk, one of the two regions that make up the Donbass. Most of the city was occupied by Russian troops in recent weeks, with Ukrainian defenders mostly hiding in the huge Azot industrial plant.