Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the war-torn eastern region of the country region for The first Time since Russia launched invasion in February, as Russian forces tightened their control around it key cities in Donbass region in The face of Fierce Ukrainian resistance.
Ukrainian regional officials report that Russian forces have “stormed” Severodonetsk after unsuccessfully trying to encircle city. fighting methods out power and mobile phone service, and the Humanitarian Relief Center was unable to operate due to of The danger said the mayor.
Severodonetsk, located about 143 kilometers (89 miles) south of On the Russian border in The last days as the epicenter of Moscow quest to me capture All of Donbass industrial area in Ukraine region. Russia also Has stepped up up Her efforts to seize nearby Lysychansk, where civilians rushed to escape Constant bombardment.
The two eastern cities straddle the strategically important Siverskiy Donetsk River. They are the last The main areas under Ukrainian control in Luhansk Province, which makes up Donbass together with neighboring Donetsk.
Zelensky made A rare front-line visit to city of Kharkiv also sought to assert strength of Ukraine’s position there. Ukrainian fighters pushed Russian forces back From locations near cityUkraine secondThe biggest in a few weeks.
“I feel boundless pride in our defenders. Every day, they risk their lives, they fight for Zelensky wrote: “The Freedom of Ukraine” on Telegram messaging app after the visit soldiers positioned in Kharkiv.
Russia has kept up bombard it of the Northeast city From afar, explosions were heard in The area Shortly after Zelensky’s visit. Bombing and air strikes destroyed more More than 2,000 apartment buildings since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, according to the region’s governor Ole Sinihopov.
In the wider Kharkiv regionRussian forces still hold about 30% of the province, while Kyiv’s governor said the army’s forces had retaken another 5%.
However, Zelenskyy acknowledged that the file battle for East is “indescribably difficult”. The Russian army is trying to put pressure on at least some result“By concentrating her attacks there, he said in Saturday night video title.
Russia, after its failure to capture the Ukrainian capital, concentrates, on Occupy parts of Donbass no already It is controlled by pro-Moscow separatists.
Russian forces made small progress in In recent days, the bombing has eroded Ukrainian positions and kept civilians trapped in basements or desperately trying to get it out safely. attacks on destroy military Targets across the country also caused injuries in civilian areas.
civilians who I arrived in the east city of Pokrovsk, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Lysychansk, they said they held out As long as they could before fleeing the Russian advance.
Yana Skakova choked back Tears describe her passing with She is 18 months and 4-year-olds at the time husband stayed behind to take care of of they house and animals. The family was among the 18 people who Live in Cellar for The past Two-and-a-half months until the police informed them on Friday that it was time to evacuate.
“no one of us wanted to leave us native city she said. “But for in order to of these small childrenWe decided to leave.”
Serhi Hedayi, the county governor of Luhansk, said the constant bombing created a “dangerous” situation. in Lyschansk. There are dead and wounded people,” he wrote on Telegram without going into details.
Saturday said, one One civilian was killed and four others were wounded by a Russian shell hit highrise apartment building.
But he said some supply and evacuation routes in Luhansk were still operating on Sunday. He claimed that the Russians had retreated.with Losses “from around a village near Severodonetsk but carried out air raids on Another nearby village is located on Seversky Donetsk strategic river.
The mayor of Severodonetsk, Oleksandr Stryuk, said that there is a fight at the citybus station on Saturday. remaining residents in The city that had pre-war population of About 100,000, they risked being bombed to get water from a half dozen wells, no electricity or mobile phone service, said Stryuk.
Stryuk estimated that 1,500 civilians died in Russian attacks from the beginning of War as well as from lack of Medicine and diseases that cannot be cured.
Institute for the study of War, a think tank based in Washington, the Kremlin questioned strategy of Huge compilation military An effort to take Severodonetsk, saying that it proves costly for Russia will make few returns.
“When the battle of Severodonetsk ends regardless of Which side He carries citythe Russians offensive On the operational and strategic levels, it is likely to have peaked, giving Ukraine chance To resume its counterattacks at the operational level to push the Russian forces back, the institute said in Evaluation posted late on Saturday.
The deteriorating conditions have raised fears that Severodonetsk will become next Mariupol, port city 281 kilometers to the south he spent nearly three months under siege before last Ukrainian fighters surrendered.
An aide to the Ukrainian mayor of Mariupol claimed on Sunday that after the victory of Russian forces complete control of Mariupol, they piled up the bodies of dead people Inside a supermarket.
Assistant Petro Andryushenko posted picture on Telegram messaging app of What he described as a “corpse dump” in occupier city. Bodies were shown stacked next to closed supermarket tables.
It was not immediately possible To verify his claim or authenticity of The photo, which Andriyushenko called modern.
Here, the Russians bring in the bodies of The dead that was washed out of Their graves during attempts to restore the water supply, partially exhuming the remains. that they just dump them like rubbish,” he wrote.
Areas across Ukraine were attacked overnight by renewed Russian airstrikes. on the earth in East Donetsk regionFighters killer, back and forth for control of villages and cities.
The Ukrainian army reported heavy fighting around Donetsk, the provincial capital, as well as Lyman to north. The small city As key railway hub in Donetsk region. Moscow claimed on Saturday that it had captured Lyman, but Ukrainian authorities said its fighters were still involved in combat in slash of The city.
“The enemy The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said it is “reinforcing its units” in proces update. She’s trying to get a foothold in The area. “
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the war-torn eastern region of the country region for The first Time since Russia launched invasion in February, as Russian forces tightened their control around it key cities in Donbass region in The face of Fierce Ukrainian resistance.
Ukrainian regional officials report that Russian forces have “stormed” Severodonetsk after unsuccessfully trying to encircle city. fighting methods out power and mobile phone service, and the Humanitarian Relief Center was unable to operate due to of The danger said the mayor.
Severodonetsk, located about 143 kilometers (89 miles) south of On the Russian border in The last days as the epicenter of Moscow quest to me capture All of Donbass industrial area in Ukraine region. Russia also Has stepped up up Her efforts to seize nearby Lysychansk, where civilians rushed to escape Constant bombardment.
The two eastern cities straddle the strategically important Siverskiy Donetsk River. They are the last The main areas under Ukrainian control in Luhansk Province, which makes up Donbass together with neighboring Donetsk.
Zelensky made A rare front-line visit to city of Kharkiv also sought to assert strength of Ukraine’s position there. Ukrainian fighters pushed Russian forces back From locations near cityUkraine secondThe biggest in a few weeks.
“I feel boundless pride in our defenders. Every day, they risk their lives, they fight for Zelensky wrote: “The Freedom of Ukraine” on Telegram messaging app after the visit soldiers positioned in Kharkiv.
Russia has kept up bombard it of the Northeast city From afar, explosions were heard in The area Shortly after Zelensky’s visit. Bombing and air strikes destroyed more More than 2,000 apartment buildings since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, according to the region’s governor Ole Sinihopov.
In the wider Kharkiv regionRussian forces still hold about 30% of the province, while Kyiv’s governor said the army’s forces had retaken another 5%.
However, Zelenskyy acknowledged that the file battle for East is “indescribably difficult”. The Russian army is trying to put pressure on at least some result“By concentrating her attacks there, he said in Saturday night video title.
Russia, after its failure to capture the Ukrainian capital, concentrates, on Occupy parts of Donbass no already It is controlled by pro-Moscow separatists.
Russian forces made small progress in In recent days, the bombing has eroded Ukrainian positions and kept civilians trapped in basements or desperately trying to get it out safely. attacks on destroy military Targets across the country also caused injuries in civilian areas.
civilians who I arrived in the east city of Pokrovsk, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Lysychansk, they said they held out As long as they could before fleeing the Russian advance.
Yana Skakova choked back Tears describe her passing with She is 18 months and 4-year-olds at the time husband stayed behind to take care of of they house and animals. The family was among the 18 people who Live in Cellar for The past Two-and-a-half months until the police informed them on Friday that it was time to evacuate.
“no one of us wanted to leave us native city she said. “But for in order to of these small childrenWe decided to leave.”
Serhi Hedayi, the county governor of Luhansk, said the constant bombing created a “dangerous” situation. in Lyschansk. There are dead and wounded people,” he wrote on Telegram without going into details.
Saturday said, one One civilian was killed and four others were wounded by a Russian shell hit highrise apartment building.
But he said some supply and evacuation routes in Luhansk were still operating on Sunday. He claimed that the Russians had retreated.with Losses “from around a village near Severodonetsk but carried out air raids on Another nearby village is located on Seversky Donetsk strategic river.
The mayor of Severodonetsk, Oleksandr Stryuk, said that there is a fight at the citybus station on Saturday. remaining residents in The city that had pre-war population of About 100,000, they risked being bombed to get water from a half dozen wells, no electricity or mobile phone service, said Stryuk.
Stryuk estimated that 1,500 civilians died in Russian attacks from the beginning of War as well as from lack of Medicine and diseases that cannot be cured.
Institute for the study of War, a think tank based in Washington, the Kremlin questioned strategy of Huge compilation military An effort to take Severodonetsk, saying that it proves costly for Russia will make few returns.
“When the battle of Severodonetsk ends regardless of Which side He carries citythe Russians offensive On the operational and strategic levels, it is likely to have peaked, giving Ukraine chance To resume its counterattacks at the operational level to push the Russian forces back, the institute said in Evaluation posted late on Saturday.
The deteriorating conditions have raised fears that Severodonetsk will become next Mariupol, port city 281 kilometers to the south he spent nearly three months under siege before last Ukrainian fighters surrendered.
An aide to the Ukrainian mayor of Mariupol claimed on Sunday that after the victory of Russian forces complete control of Mariupol, they piled up the bodies of dead people Inside a supermarket.
Assistant Petro Andryushenko posted picture on Telegram messaging app of What he described as a “corpse dump” in occupier city. Bodies were shown stacked next to closed supermarket tables.
It was not immediately possible To verify his claim or authenticity of The photo, which Andriyushenko called modern.
Here, the Russians bring in the bodies of The dead that was washed out of Their graves during attempts to restore the water supply, partially exhuming the remains. that they just dump them like rubbish,” he wrote.
Areas across Ukraine were attacked overnight by renewed Russian airstrikes. on the earth in East Donetsk regionFighters killer, back and forth for control of villages and cities.
The Ukrainian army reported heavy fighting around Donetsk, the provincial capital, as well as Lyman to north. The small city As key railway hub in Donetsk region. Moscow claimed on Saturday that it had captured Lyman, but Ukrainian authorities said its fighters were still involved in combat in slash of The city.
“The enemy The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said it is “reinforcing its units” in proces update. She’s trying to get a foothold in The area. “