The governor of Luhansk has said that all Ukrainian forces have been withdrawn from the city of Lysychansk, and that this was done to prevent senseless troop losses.

In an interview with the Associated Press on Monday, Serhiy Haidai said the city in eastern Ukraine was at risk of being encircled by Russian forces.

He said Ukrainian troops there could have held out for a couple more weeks. But he added it was more than likely that the soldiers would have ended up giving their lives for nothing.

He said the troops were withdrawn to avoid turning Lysychansk into another Mariupol. That city ultimately fell to Russian armed forces after a nearly 3-month siege.