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https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/ukraine-announces-retreat-from-lysychansk

Ukraine announces retreat from Lysychansk

The Ukrainian armed forces have retreated from the eastern strategic city of Lysychansk, Kiev said on Sunday, following weeks of fierce fighting with the Russian and the allied LPR forces over the city.

"After heavy fighting for Lysychansk, the defense forces of Ukraine were forced to withdraw from their occupied positions and lines," the Ukrainian army general staff said.

"In order to preserve the lives of Ukrainian defenders, a decision was made to withdraw," the army said in a statement, pointing to Russia having superiority in numbers and equipment.

Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow's forces had captured Lysychansk and taken full control of the Lugansk region.

Ukrainian officials had been unusually quiet on Sunday regarding the status of the fighting within the city. This could be explained by Kiev's "operational security" reasons, as the forces would not want to make public any tactical retreat. However, Lysyschansk still constitutes a major loss on Ukraine's eastern front.

The allied Russian and LPR forces have taken the city of Lysychansk, and they now had full control of the strategic city, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Saturday.

As they were leaving the city, the Ukrainian militants who had just lost their last stronghold in the Lugansk People's Republic blew up and destroyed some of the important administrative buildings, including the mayor's office, the Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene.

Having control of the LPR allows Moscow and its allied LPR forces to push deeper into the Donbass and control more of the region.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov told reporters that three battalions stationed near Lysychansk lost over 50% of their troops in one day of combat.

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BHP announces plans to close NSW's largest coal mine at Mt Arthur by 2030

Mining giant BHP has failed to find a buyer for New South Wales' largest coal mine, and will close the operation in 2030.

The company spent two years trying to sell its Mt Arthur operation in the state's Hunter Valley, which employs 2,000 people.

The mine, near Muswellbrook, is approved to operate until 2026, but BHP has told the ASX it would apply to extend that until 2030.

After that, it will close.

Rehabilitation of the site is expected to take 10 to 15 years.

The mine's pit was today shut temporarily while employees were informed of the decision.

BHP's minerals president Edgar Basto said the company had reviewed potential options for the mine, including divestment and future investment requirements.

"Seeking approval to continue mining until 2030 avoids closure in 2026 and enables BHP to balance the value and risk of those considerations and our commitments to our people and local communities," he said.

The mine was once valued at $2 billion, but that has been progressively slashed.

After a write-down last year, BHP said the mine was worth nothing, once rehabilitation obligations were factored in.

Upper Hunter MP Dave Layzell said BHP's decision to operate the mine until 2030 was "good news for the Hunter Valley".

"There are a lot of jobs that are involved at Mount Arthur and I need to make sure that those jobs are maintained for the foreseeable future," he said.

"It's good that they go through the extension."

The Nationals MP said the decision to continue operating the mine until 2030 wouldn't impact the NSW government's blueprint to get to net zero emissions by 2050.

"This is all coal that is exported overseas," he said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-16/bhp-to-close-largest-coal-mine-in-nsw/101157404