Ukrainian troops withdraw from eastern town of Siversk

Reuters ^ | 12/23/2025 | Dan Peleschuk

[E. Pluribus Unum]

KYIV, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces have pulled out of the embattled eastern town of Siversk, Kyiv's military said on Tuesday, as Russian troops wage a battlefield offensive aimed at threatening key cities critical to Ukraine's defences in the east.

The fall of Siversk comes with Ukraine under U.S. pressure to quickly negotiate peace in the nearly four-year-old war triggered by Russia's invasion, and puts Russian forces closer to the hub of Sloviansk, some 30 km (20 miles) to the west.

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Sloviansk is a northern anchor of the so-called "fortress belt" of cities in Ukraine's heavily industrialised Donbas region, which Russia has demanded Kyiv cede before it ends its war.

"The invaders were able to advance due to a significant numerical advantage and constant pressure from small assault groups in difficult weather conditions," Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement.

It said it had withdrawn soldiers to preserve lives and resources, adding that they had, however, inflicted heavy losses on the enemy.

Russia said earlier this month it had captured Siversk, whose pre-war population was around 10,000, a claim Kyiv had denied.

On Tuesday, Ukraine's military said its forces were keeping up pressure on the town and would continue trying to sever logistics for Russian troops inside.

Ukrainian open-source group Deep State showed Russia had made gradual gains around Siversk this month, part of its grinding advances along the sprawling front line.

Fighting is still raging around the former eastern logistics hub of Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian forces said this month they had fended off an unusually large Russian mechanised attack.

The Ukrainian military's Operation Task Force East unit, which reports regularly on its defence of Pokrovsk, said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces remained in control of...

[PGR88]

Meh, they didn’t want it anyway!

[kiryandil]

ping to you

[AAABEST]

Heh - you jest, but the Zeepers actually come up with stuff like that.

[Karl Spooner]

the nearly four-year-old war triggered by Russia's invasion,

"the nearly four-year old was triggered by Ukraine's shelling of ethnic Russians in Donetsk".

[doc maverick]

The corrupt, dwarf dictator should have taken the deal 2 weeks ago.
He’s done.
So are the UK and Europe because they fail to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Their problem is islam, not Putin who has no interest in taking on their rampant islamic invaders.

[Allegra]

I wonder how they’re responding to this on the Ghetto Thread?

I’d snoop, but I always have to decontaminate afterwards and I’m headed out to a party shortly. 😁

Maybe when I get back.

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

Kiev in two weeks!

[delta7]

the nearly four-year old was triggered by Ukraine’s shelling of ethnic Russians in Donetsk”.

---

.....AND Russians were herded into the Trade Center, Odessa and burned alive by Ukrainian Nazis. Russia does not forget, which is why many Russian citizens want Vlad to take Odessa.

https://nexusnewsfeed.com/article/geopolitics/burned-alive-how-the-2014-odessa-massacre-became-a-turning-point-for-ukraine/

“Burned alive: How the 2014 Odessa massacre became a turning point for Ukraine
Clashes between opposing activists turned into mass murder. The perpetrators have never been punished”

[Pikachu_Dad]

Where are the ‘quagmire’ claims from the press?

[Pikachu_Dad]

Well the were cities. Now they are just rubble. Or ‘mostly rubble’

[mac_truck]

[blitz128]

30 km that shoild take about 2 years and another 400000 Russians/ mercs, meanwhile Russian economy doesn’t have that much time

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "Kiev in two weeks!"

Hey! You're using marcusmaximus' line! He left the building, 11/2/2025, as best one can tell. So, yeah. But....

"Shortly before Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his latest invasion of Ukraine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, reportedly told congressional leaders meeting in closed session that the smaller country would 'fall in 72 hours.' Welp, here we are, well over a month into that three-day war.

"So how did the principal military advisor to the president of the United States get it so wrong?

"Perhaps, Milley forgot the most important military adage of all: 'No plan survives contact with the enemy'."

Why Gen. Milley’s Ukraine War Prediction Missed by a Mile Heritage Foundation, 8 April 2022.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

30 km that shoild take about 2 years and another 400000 Russians/ mercs, meanwhile Russian economy doesn’t have that much time

Not to mention you are willing to fight Russia to the last Ukrainian life.

[blitz128]

And of Ukraine had occupied part of Russia to “protect” ethnic Russians the Russians would have said fine
How about Georgia, Chechnya, Finland Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia Rumania, Hungary…..

Yup poor ethnic Russians always being “picked on”

Tired trope

[blitz128]

Not to mention pitin is willing to sacrifice his people for territory is not his.

So pitin invaded Ukraine to save Russians from being shelled and has had over 1 million killed and wounded for his desires and ego

Your narrative is weak, like pitin

Pitin could stop the killing right now, return to his borders and stop the war

Funny how you types never bring up that option

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

Freepers, going back and forth on threads which are likely not read by the Trump administration, the Russian administration, the Ukrainian administration nor the European Commission atop the European Union, can be interesting, if frustrating for some.

I think back to President Trump, when dealing with Chancellor Merz.

'Sometimes you're better off letting them fight,’ Trump says on Russia-Ukraine war Kyiv Independent, 5 June 2025.

Sure seems that's going on.

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

Putin Boasts of Being Able to Take Kiev in 2 Weeks

https://time.com/3259699/putin-boast-kiev-2-weeks/

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "Putin Boasts of Being Able to Take Kiev in 2 Weeks"

I knew of the 2014 TIME article, as did you. Eleven years ago. The TIME article re-reports a New York Times article, which re-reports a La Repubblica article which reports that Barroso retells a statement from Putin in a private phone call.

"The outgoing President of the Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, who has just spoken to Putin, takes the floor. He says that when he asked him to account for the borderless military in Ukraine, the Russian leader turned to threats: The problem is not this - this is the Tsar's response, as told by Barroso - but that if I want, I'll take Kiev in two weeks'."

Source: Ucraina, il ricatto di Putin sul vertice europeo: "Se voglio prendo Kiev in due settimane" La Repubblica, 1 September 2014.

So it is Barroso who says that Putin said it. Then the NY Times republishes, and then TIME magazine re-republishes. The source of the quote is the then President of the European Commission, in a meeting with Merkel, Renzi, Mogherini, Rutte, Tusk and others. Grybauskaite, from Lithuania, adds in the 2014 La Repubblica article, "Russia is at war with Europe."

It was an interesting year, 2014, with Obama's "conversation" with Putin which Politico termed "a 'constructive' hour-long chat," and then throughout that year -- 2014 -- there was talk, and talk, and talk.

So eleven years later, Europe is at war with Russia? Yes? No? Partially? One reads from Rutte, now NATO chief, as well as from French, British and German voices that Europe will be prepared in 2027? Or 2030, depending on the source. Specifically in 2025, Rutte says, "within the next five years, and that Europe is not ready." So, 2030, one supposes.

It is a tangled web, is it not? As "Ukrainian troops withdraw from eastern town of Siversk." So is the thread titled.