The American Institute for the Study of War in its daily report writes about the withdrawal of the Ukrainian military from Lysychansk. The main provisions of the summary for July 2:.

Ukrainian forces apparently retreated from Lysichansk in an orderly fashion and the city came under Russian control on July 2. Representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not announce the withdrawal of troops, but also did not report on defensive battles in the Lisichansk region, experts write.

In the coming days, Russian forces are likely to take control of the remaining territory of the Luhansk region, and then likely to focus on attacks on Ukrainian positions in Seversk before turning towards Sloviansk and Bakhmut. The withdrawal of Ukrainian troops to Seversk will allow Ukraine to reduce the immediate risk of military encirclement, experts say.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said that Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation Valeny Gerasimov personally inspected the groupings of Russian troops in Ukraine on July 2.

Given that this statement was accompanied by the publication of a slideshow with footage that does not confirm the presence of Gerasimov in Ukraine, experts believe that Russia is trying in this way to refute rumors about purges in the ranks of high-ranking military. Another possible explanation is that Russia is struggling with the perception that most commanders are absent or not directly involved in the war..

Russian troops continued unsuccessful ground attacks north of Slovyansk. They also carried out limited attacks southwest of Donetsk, with no confirmed successes..

Ukrainian counterattacks and partisan activity continue to force Russian troops to prioritize defensive operations in the south.