According to Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk region, all three bridges connecting the disputed city of Severodonetsk with its sister city Lysychansk to the west are now impassable to vehicles, severely limiting evacuation options for those trying to flee the city. military administration.
“The bridges made it possible to carry at least some humanitarian cargo, something related to reserves. It is currently impossible to use the bridges,” Hayday said.
A second of three bridges was destroyed over the weekend. Hayday’s office explained that the third bridge, which has come under constant shelling, is now impassable to vehicles.
The destruction of the bridges gives the Russian military another advantage, as supply lines have been interrupted, Hayday said. Obtaining weapons and reserves is now “difficult, but not impossible,” he said.
Hayday said travel between Severodonetsk and Lysychansk was still possible, but did not go into detail for security reasons.
“Lysychansk is already being shelled very vigorously, with a heavy caliber [weapons], they destroy everything: both humanitarian headquarters and hospitals. But from Lysychansk there is still an opportunity to evacuate people every day and collect humanitarian supplies,” he said.
Hayday also said of Severodonetsk that Russian forces “really control most of the city,” estimated at about 70% to 80%.
But he denied claims made by the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic of Luhansk (LPR) that Severodonetsk has fallen, saying: “This is not true.”
“Part of the city is still controlled by Ukrainian defenders. If they had full control of the city, Russian soldiers wouldn’t have died there,” Hayday said.
Hayday also said that even if Ukrainian forces reclaim the city, it would be impossible to “fully restore infrastructure before winter. The only thing that is possible is to place radiators that keep the temperature in the tents warm. And yes, everything is broken. With water, with electricity – there will be huge problems with everything.”