Ukraine resists handing over the key city of Severodonetsk despite the advance of Russian troops

the forces of Ukraine try to repel the advance of Russian troops in the city of Severodonetskthe last major focus of the Ukrainian resistance in the region of Lugansk together with neighboring Lisichansk and where Russia It already controls a third of the town, according to pro-Russian separatist militias.

“The situation is extremely complicated. Part of Severodonetsk It is controlled by the Russians.declared the governor of the region of LuganskSerhiy Gaidai.

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He stressed, however, that Russian troops “cannot advance freely” due to Ukrainian resistance.

A CITY DIVIDED IN TWO

Oleksandr Stryuk, the mayor of the besieged city, declared for his part to the Ukrainian channel 1+1 that “The front line has split the city into two parts.”

“But the city is still defending itself, it is still Ukrainian and our soldiers are fighting.”assured.

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On the other side of the front, the militias of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Lugansk They stated that they are continuing their offensive.

“You can already say that we control a third of the city”said the leader of the pro-Russian militias, Leonid Pásechnik, quoted by the official Russian agency TASS.

Pásechnik indicated that the main objective at the moment “is to free Severodonetsk and neighboring Lisichansk”.

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“In these sectors (…) the group of Ukrainian troops is made up of about 10,000 troops”he added.

A “CLEAN-UP OPERATION”

According to the Ukrainian General Staff Command, pro-Russian militias attack the positions of the defenders of the city “with mortars, artillery and missiles along the line of contact.”

“The main efforts are focused on establishing control of Severodonetsk”he indicated.

Gaidai denounced that the Russian Army plans to carry out a “cleansing operation” in Severodonetsk and its surroundingsin the eastern Luhansk region, to eliminate or neutralize any resistance.

The Russians “are sending a battalion of soldiers who will go through the surrounding villages. They are moving equipment with large flamethrowers to simply burn our army, along with the civilian population, they don’t care, “he denounced.

TENSIONS ALL OVER THE FRONT

Meanwhile, the situation remains tense in other regions of the country, admitted the Ukrainian command, which reported mortar attacks in the border areas of Chernigov and Sumy, in the north and northeast of Ukrainerespectively.

Unlike Severodonetskwhere the Russians have redoubled their efforts, in other directions they have chosen to regroup and equip themselves, in order to be ready for future offensives, the Ukrainian command said.

According to the Ukrainian military, this tactic is observed in the region of Slobozhansknear the busy limenand in Slovyanskone of the key objectives of the Russian Army, being together with Kramatorsk the last major city in Ukrainian hands in the region of Donetsk.

The governor of the province, Pavlo Kyrylenko, reported today three fatalities and seven injured by Russian missile attacks in Slovianskto which the pro-Russian militias responded with complaints of Ukrainian attacks that caused at least two deaths.

“As a result of today’s attack by Ukrainian forces, the number of victims in the Donetsk People’s Republic grew to seven people (in one day): two died and five were injured”reported the Territorial Defense General Staff of the self-proclaimed republic on its Telegram channel.

According to data released this Tuesday by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, since last February 24, the date on which the so-called Russian “special military operation” began, 4,074 civilians have died and another 4,826 were injured.

FINDING IN AZOVSTAL

Also, The Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Tuesday the discovery of the bodies of 152 Ukrainian combatants in an “isothermal van” in the territory of the Azovstal steelworks, in Mariupol, in southeastern Ukraine.

According to the spokesman for the military entity, Major General Igor Konashénkov, Russian sappers found mines placed under the corpses.

In accordance with Russiait has been established that kyiv thus sought to blame Moscow for the “deliberate” elimination of the bodies to prevent their transfer and delivery to relatives.

Russia announced on May 20 the complete surrender of the defenders of Azovstala total of 2,439 Ukrainian combatants, mostly members of the nationalist Azov battalion, who will be tried by representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

The separatist leader of this pro-Russian region, Denís Pushilin, stated that the trial will begin “in the near future” and did not rule out that some of the combatants could be sentenced to the “maximum penalty” for “rapes, torture and murder of civilians” in the Donbas.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.