LUHANSK, July 22./ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine’s army continues attacks on the south-eastern town of Lisichansk, the Novorossia news agency said on Tuesday.

“Lisichansk was under artillery fire and militia decided to leave the town in order to save the population and stop clashes,” the news agency quoted the commander of the Luhansk People’s Republic militia, Alexey Mozgovoy, as saying.

Ukrainian troops used cannon and rocket artillery, including the Grad rocket launcher systems. Shells hit residential buildings in downtown Lisichansk and two neighbouring villages, he said giving no exact data on casualties.

Alexander Kostin, the commander of the Ghost militia battalion, said earlier that militia forces of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic had left Lisichansk in the early hours of Tuesday.