Fighting continues to rage on Wednesday in Severodonetsk, a key city in Donbass, which Moscow claims to have taken control of in certain sectors.
Thus, the Russians claim to have "totally liberated" the residential areas of this strategic city for the control of the entire Donbass coal basin, in eastern Ukraine.
“The takeover of its industrial zone and neighboring localities continues,” said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in a rare televised briefing on Tuesday.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured in his daily video address on Tuesday evening that "the situation on the front has not changed significantly in the past 24 hours" and that "the absolutely heroic defense of Donbass continues".
An observation shared by the Ukrainian general staff this Wednesday morning: “Our soldiers succeeded in repelling the assault in the city of Severodonetsk”.
“It is very difficult to hold Severodonetsk,” however, acknowledged Tuesday Serguiï Gaïdaï, the governor of the Luhansk region, which, with that of Donetsk, forms the Donbass.
Governor of Luhansk calls for "Western artillery"
Mr. Gaïdaï even speaks of “mission impossible”.
“All forces, all reserves have been mobilized by the enemy, the Russian army, to cut off the Lysytchansk-Bakhmut highway in order to take Severodonetsk.
They are shelling Lysychansk very violently,” the governor said.
To ensure the defense of the city, the Ukrainian soldiers have “a vital need for heavy weapons which can counter the enemy artillery”, assures Serguiï Gaïdaï, who claimed “Western artillery”.
Separated by a river, the cities of Severodonetsk and Lyssytchansk constitute the last agglomeration still under Ukrainian control in the Lugansk region.
Their capture would open the road to Kramatorsk, a large city in the Donetsk region, to the Russians.
