Ukrainian forces were ordered to withdraw from Severodonetsk, the administrative center of the Ukraine-controlled part of the eastern Lugansk region, a regional governor said on Friday, Xinhua reported.
"The soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard were ordered to withdraw to new positions, to new fortified areas, and carry out full-fledged combat operations from those positions," Serhiy Haidai, head of the Lugansk regional military administration, said on Telegram.
About 90 percent of buildings in Severodonetsk were damaged in military actions, Haidai said.
On June 20, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said that Russian military forces aimed to capture Luhansk by June 26.