DrRussian-controlled separatists in Donetsk reported on Monday that the city had been subjected to the heaviest Ukrainian bombardment since the start of the war. Local media reports said four people were killed and at least 23 injured. A maternity clinic in the former capital caught fire, but no one was hurt there. These reports have not been independently validated.
In order to protect the city and the Donetsk People’s Republic, more troops are needed from the „allied forces”, that is, the Russian army, said separatist leader Denis Pushlin, according to the Dan agency.
After pro-Russian forces captured the Ukrainian city of Svyatohersk, the city’s mayor defected and joined the separatists. The head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, which Russia recognizes as a state, Denis Pushlin, said on Monday that Vladimir Bandura hid his true position and, like many citizens of the city, was waiting for „liberation.”
The Ukrainian armed forces lost control of the small town last week. Ukrainian media called Pandora a „traitor”. Officials in other regions also defected.
Separatist leader Pushlin hailed Bandura as the mayor who stood by the people through „the whole difficult time”. So he must remain in office. Now the destroyed infrastructure, including schools and medical facilities, must be rebuilt.
The Monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary of Arch, which was shot several times, is located in Svyatohersk and is one of the most important shrines of Russian Orthodoxy. Moscow Patriarch Kirill, who supports the aggressive war against Ukraine, has long been famous for his desire to keep the ancient religious sites of the Russian Orthodox Church under his influence. „The monastery is preserved, it needs repairs, we will make it like new again,” said Buchilin.
The Ukrainian army „partially” pushed out of the city center of Severodonetsk
After weeks of heavy fighting, the Ukrainian army said it was pushed back from the center of the strategically important city of Sevgerodonetsk in the Donbass region. Today, Monday, the Ukrainian General Staff announced on the Facebook website that the Russian army, with the support of its artillery, „partially” managed to repel Ukrainian soldiers in the city center.
The governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Hajjaj, also announced the „partial” success of the Russian forces on Monday night. Hajdayi said on Facebook that Russian forces continued to „destroy” Severodonetsk.
The governor of the Ukrainian region said that Moscow was providing its forces in the Luhansk region with „more and more equipment” to „encircle” Severodonetsk and neighboring Lysechansk. According to him, three civilians were killed in Russian shelling of Lyschansk in the past 24 hours, including a six-year-old child.
Severodonetsk and Lesichansk have been the scene of fierce fighting for weeks. They are the last two cities in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine not yet occupied by Russia.
About 500 civilians are sheltering in nitrogen buildings
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of heavy fighting in Severodonetsk late Sunday night. He said Ukrainian forces and the Russian army were fighting there „for every meter”. „Every meter of Ukrainian territory” in the region is „stained with blood,” said army chief Valery Zalochny. But not only the Ukrainian, but also the Russian army suffered huge losses.
Hundreds of civilians have taken refuge in the Azot chemical plant in Sevgerodonetsk, according to Ukrainian sources. „About 500 civilians are residing at the site of the nitrogen plant, 40 of them are children,” said Governor Hajjaj. From time to time the army succeeds in evacuating people. Hajjaj said on Facebook that the industrial zone was under heavy fire.
Ukrainian Commander in Chief: The front has a length of more than 2,400 km
According to her statements, the Ukrainian army now has a front of about 2,450 km to defend against constant Russian attacks. „Active combat operations are taking place along 1,110 kilometers of this,” the commander in chief, Valery Saluchny, wrote on Facebook on Monday evening after a conversation with US General Mark Milley.
Ukrainian units also launched a counterattack in some sections of the front. Recently there have been reports of Ukrainian territorial gains on the borders of the Mykolaiv and Cherson regions in southern Ukraine.
London: River crossings will play a central role in the Ukraine war
According to British intelligence services, the river crossings are likely to play an important role in the next stage of the Ukraine war. The British Ministry of Defense said in an update on Monday that a central part of Russia’s front line in the Donbass region lies west of the Seversky Donets River.
Therefore, in order to make further progress on the Donbass, Russia must either carry out complex attacks on the flanks or make a river crossing. Until now, the Russians often could not successfully control large-scale river crossings under fire. On the other hand, the Ukrainians repeatedly managed to destroy the bridges before withdrawing.
Since the start of the Russian war of aggression more than three months ago, the British government has regularly published intelligence about its progress. Moscow accuses London of launching a purposeful disinformation campaign.
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