The Russian military is “throwing all its reserves into” capturing the town of Severodonetsk within the japanese Luhansk area, based on Serhiy Hayday, the top of the regional army administration.
“That they had beforehand managed to seize a lot of the metropolis, however now our army has pushed them again,” Hayday instructed Ukrainian tv, claiming the Russians are “struggling big losses.”
Hayday additionally mentioned Chechen forces who seem to have thought the battle was gained had entered the town.
He mentioned the Russians had been attempting to demolish bridges “in order that we can not present reinforcements to our guys who’re in Severodonetsk, who’re defending the Luhansk area. … They’re actually afraid that the success of our defenders will develop, and this may be accomplished if ammunition, weapons and reinforcements are offered in time. That is the very first thing they’re afraid of.”
Earlier Saturday, Hayday mentioned Ukraine now controls about half of Severodonetsk. He was responding to a query concerning the newest UK intelligence evaluation, which had predicted Russia would management the entire Luhansk area inside two weeks.
The humanitarian scenario is troublesome within the space, he added.
“At current, we are able to neither evacuate individuals nor convey humanitarian assist, for instance, to Severodonetsk. The one locations the place we are able to ship humanitarian cargo — meals, drugs — are Lysychansk and the Hirske group,” that are to the south of Severodonetsk, he mentioned.
“Even in Lysychansk, we’re shelled, however each day we proceed to move humanitarian items by vans. We might even evacuate individuals, however quietly, with out publicity, as a result of the Russian military is taking pictures at evacuation buses,” Hayday claimed.
Oleksandr Striuk, head of the Severodonetsk army administration, mentioned late Saturday that avenue battles proceed within the metropolis, and “our army is doing all the pieces to drive the enemy out of the town.”
Striuk mentioned that residential areas of the town are actually “divided in half.”
“Road battles are being fought, which is accompanied by fixed artillery shelling. The scenario is kind of tense, however there’s hope and confidence in our armed forces that all the pieces will work out. Town stays Ukrainian,” he mentioned.
He mentioned there had been about 13,000 individuals within the metropolis earlier than it was stormed by Russian troops, however some had been “forcibly eliminated to the occupied territory.”
