The Ukrainian cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk are under attack by Russia during an offensive in the eastern region of Luhansk, the office of the president of Ukraine said in an update Thursday.
Severodonetsk – an industrial city located across the Siverskyi Donets River from Lysychansk – has been heavily shelled, and the statement said the Impulse Research and Production Association and 11 high-rise buildings in the city had been destroyed.
Oleksandr Striuk, head of Severodonetsk’s military administration, said in a radio interview on Thursday that the connection between Severodonetsk and Lysychansk had been “complicated” due to Russian shelling of a bridge between the two cities.
The enemy has not stopped shelling residential areas for the past week and a half, Striuk said.
“12,000 — 13,000 people stay in the city. People hide in air-raid shelters and basements. The city is under constant attack.”
Striuk added that communications were limited and 90% of Severodonetsk’s housing stock had been damaged or destroyed.
The fall of Severodonetsk – the last major city in the Luhansk region under the control of the Ukrainian government – would be a major setback for Kiev.
“The situation is difficult, especially in the operational district of Donetsk,” said Fedir Venislavskyi, a Ukrainian lawmaker and member of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence.
“The most popular spots are Severodonetsk and Lysychansk,” he said, adding that Russian soldiers tried to surround Ukrainian troops before targeting the towns of Bakhmut and Soledar.
“The enemy has partially controlled Lyman and is moving to the outskirts of Severodonetsk. The situation in this area of operations will be very difficult in the coming days,” Venislavskyi said.
