On 24 March, the Russian military announced that it had taken full control of Izium,[18][19] which was denied by Ukraine which stated that fighting was still ongoing.[20] According to a local official, Russian forces were holding the northern part of the town, while Ukrainian soldiers were in the south, with the Donets river separating them. He also confirmed that Izium was surrounded and that the city had been "completely destroyed" by this point.[4]