Moscow troops besiege Kiev soldiers on the grounds of a chemical complex in Azot
The Ukrainian army admitted on Monday that it has lost control of the central part of Severodonetsk, the last city, along with neighboring Lisichansk, which remains for Russian forces to complete the occupation of the entire Lugansk province. Russia already announced at the end of March that its priority objective was to take all of Donbas from Ukraine, meaning it will continue its offensive to also take over Donetsk in its entirety.
The capture of Severodonetsk would represent significant progress for the Russian armed forces, but Azot, the chemical plant it houses and which has already been practically besieged, threatens to become another focal point of irreducible resistance, such as the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, for whose eviction they need two and a half months.
Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianik admitted on Monday that “the center of Severodonetsk has come under enemy control because of the great superiority of its artillery.” According to his information, “there are fierce street battles going on and the enemy commanders do not feel the slightest pity for their own soldiers, using the tactics typical of the Second World War”, a clear reference to the bloody mass attacks that caused enormous losses. to Soviet troops in their fight against the Nazi war machine.
The head of the administration of that area in Lugansk still controlled by Kiev, Sergei Gaidai, wrote on his Telegram channel that “Russian troops already control 70% of Severodonetsk.” Gaidai also states that “about 500 civilians, including 40 children, have taken refuge” at the chemical plant, which seems to paint a picture almost identical to the Azovstal inferno. “In a situation of continuous bombing, the mass evacuation of civilians is impossible,” he said. The factory is being defended by about 400 Ukrainian fighters, according to Russian sources.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces assured that Russian artillery “will not stop shelling Severodonetsk, Lisichansk and Toshkovka”, the last city that, once captured, would allow the Russian army to move forward with the idea of destroying the Ukrainian armed forces. troops to encircle Severodonetsk and Lisichansk. Russian artillery is also trying to prevent supplies and ammunition from reaching Severodonetsk by firing on the road from Bakhmut.
According to the Ukrainian expert on military affairs, Oleg Zhdanov, “The enemy has become more careful to reduce their losses (…) and they are using the scorched earth tactic with much greater firepower. They have amassed a lot of artillery, the air strikes strengthened, but the infantry assault after our lines is well crushed.” According to Zhdanov, the Russian army “has already destroyed two bridges over the Seversky Donets River, which separates Severodonetsk from Lisichansk, and shelled the third bridge en masse”, the only one left to prevent the Ukrainian army and civilians from withdrawing. . The spokesman for the separatist leadership of Lugansk, Eduard Basurin, had already “captured” Ukrainian troops in Severodonetsk on Monday, but Gaidai for the time being denied such a circumstance.
To turn the situation around, Kiev continues to reiterate to the West that it needs far more weapons than have been supplied so far. Adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Mikhailo Podoliak, wrote on Twitter on Monday: “I will be direct, to end the war and drive Russia out of Ukraine, we need heavy weapons parity.” According to his calculations, the Ukrainian army needs 1,000 155-millimeter howitzers, 300 multiple rocket launchers, 500 tanks, 2,000 armored vehicles and 1,000 drones as soon as possible. Podoliak says he hopes that defense ministers from the Ramstein group, which will meet in Brussels on Wednesday, agree to provide Kiev with the requested military aid.
However, Moscow has demanded from the start of the invasion that the US and NATO refrain from arming Ukraine. Russian General and Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov believes sending heavy equipment to Ukrainian troops will not solve anything except to “prolong the conflict further”. In his opinion, “it is unlikely that these weapons can affect the situation in any way (…) it will only make matters worse and prolong the conflict.”
Source: La Verdad
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