Russia now controls 80 pct of the battlefield city of eastern Ukraine

#russia now controls 80 pct of the battlefield city

A regional official said on Tuesday that Russian troops had taken control of about 80% of the eastern city of Svyarodonetsk and destroyed all three bridges leading to it, but Ukrainians were still trying to evacuate the wounded.

Serhi Haidai, the governor of the Eastern Luhansk region, acknowledged that now the mass evacuation of civilians from Svyarodonetsk was “simply not possible” due to relentless shelling and fighting. “Using the burning earth method and Russian heavy artillery has pushed the Ukrainian army to the industrial outskirts of the city,” he said.

“There is still an opportunity for evacuation of the wounded, communication with the Ukrainian army and local residents,” he told The Associated Press by telephone, adding that Russian troops had not yet completely blocked the strategic city.

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About 12,000 people live in Svyarodonetsk from a pre-war population of 100,000. According to Haidai, more than 500 civilians are taking refuge at the Azot chemical plant, which is being expanded by the Russians.

The governor said a total of 70 civilians were evacuated from the Luhansk region on the last day.

Meanwhile, a Russian general said a humanitarian corridor would be opened on Wednesday to evacuate civilians from the Azot plant. Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev said the evacuation would be moved to the city of Svatovo, 60 kilometers (35 mi) north, under the control of Russian and separatist forces.

He said the plan was made after Ukraine called for an evacuation corridor that leads to the region it controls.

Mizhintsev, the head of the National Defense Management Center, has been accused of human rights violations by Ukraine during the long siege of Mariupol, Ukraine’s main port on the Azov Sea, which the Russians have taken over.

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In the past few weeks the Russian military has worked hard to capture Ukraine’s eastern industrial Donbass region, which borders Russia and is made up of the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

“Unfortunately, the loss is painful, but we have to stop,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address late Tuesday. “The more damage the enemy inflicts, the less strength it will have to continue the attack. Therefore, the Donbass are important to determine who will dominate in the coming weeks.”

As he does almost every day, Zelensky made requests for more and faster deliveries of Western weapons, this time specifically for anti-missile defense systems.

Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hannah Malayar said on Tuesday that the military had received only 10% of the Western weapons she requested “to create parity with the Russian military.”

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“No matter how much Ukraine tries, no matter how professional our military is, we will not be able to win this war without the help of Western allies,” Malayar told a televised news conference.

She said Ukraine uses 5,000 to 6,000 artillery guns a day, while Russia uses 10 times more.

In recent days, Ukrainian officials have spoken out about the enormous human cost of the war, with the formerly grueling battle becoming an artillery battle that has seen Kyiv’s forces move in and out.

Malayar said every day of delay meant the loss of lives of more Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. “And so, unfortunately, we can’t wait too long, because the situation is very difficult,” she said.

With the conflict now in its fourth month, the Battle of Donbass could set the course of the war.

If Russia prevails, Ukraine will not only lose its land, but perhaps the bulk of its most capable military forces, opening the way for Moscow to grab more territory and set its terms to Kyiv.

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A Russian failure, however, could lay the groundwork for a Ukrainian retaliation – and potential political upheaval for the Kremlin.

Jan Egland, general secretary of the Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the aid organizations supplying food to citizens in the Donbass, said fighting over the past few weeks has made regular food delivery impossible. Now, he said, the remaining civilians in Svyarodonetsk are “almost completely cut off from aid supplies after the destruction of the last bridge.”

Zelensky said that in the northeastern Kharkiv region, the Russian army is trying to consolidate its position and the Ukrainian army is also suffering painful losses. “And we still need to fight, to work hard for the full security of Kharkiv and the region,” he said.

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Russia now controls 80 pct of the battlefield city of eastern Ukraine

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News East India staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)