Russians control 80% of contested city in eastern Ukraine
Sievierodonetsk, the main focus of the fighting in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, isn’t yet blocked off by Russian troops even though they control about 80% of the city and have destroyed all three bridges leading out of it, an official said today.
“There is still an opportunity for the evacuation of the wounded, communication with the Ukrainian military and local residents,” Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai told The Associated Press by phone.
He acknowledged that Ukrainian forces have been pushed out to the industrial outskirts of the city because of, “the scorched earth method and heavy artillery the Russians are using.”
About 12,000 people remain in Sievierodonetsk, a city with a pre-war population of 100,000.
More than 500 civilians are sheltering in the Azot chemical plant, which is also being relentlessly pounded by the Russians, according to Haidai.
