War in Donbass: “It’s impossible to count the shelling”

Sieverodonetsk is still under heavy fire from the Russian army. According to Ukrainian sources, hundreds of civilians are said to be seeking shelter in the Azot chemical plant. Residential neighborhoods are being attacked throughout Donbass.

The Azot chemical plant in the embattled industrial city of Sieverodonetsk is still under Ukrainian control, according to the regional government. “Azot is not blocked. Fighting is taking place in the streets next to the factory,” said Luhansk Governor Serhiy Hajdaj on Ukrainian television.

According to Ukrainian sources, hundreds of civilians have found shelter in the bunkers at the facility because Russia is supposed to be targeting residential areas with heavy artillery. “Everyone probably wants to flee now, but there is currently no such option,” said Hajdaj.

Heavy fighting in the city center

Sieverodonetsk is the last major city in the Luhansk region that has not yet been fully conquered by Russian troops or pro-Russian separatists. According to Mayor Olexandr Strjuk, Ukrainian troops control a third of the area. The city has been without electricity and water supply for around two months, he emphasized.

The situation there is the worst in the country, said Governor Hajdaj in a video speech. “It’s impossible to count the shelling.” Many places in the Luhansk region are under fire. The situation in Toshkivka is particularly difficult. There the Russian attackers tried to break through a defensive line. In part, the Ukrainian armed forces managed to stop the enemy.

“The Donbass holds”

The Ukrainian General Staff reported that the Russian military had shelled civilian infrastructure in the neighboring city of Lysychansk. The units stationed there would have withstood Russian attacks from several directions. Heavy fighting was also reported from other parts of the Donbass. The high command in Kyiv announced that Russian troops had been pushed back in the area of ​​the important transport hub of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video message that he was proud of the Ukrainian defenders in Donbass, who have been holding back Russian advances for weeks. “Now is already the 108th day of the war, already June. Donbass is holding.” However, Ukraine will do everything so that the Russians “repent of everything they have done and have to answer for every murder and every attack against our beautiful country”.

Artillery duel in eastern Ukraine

In his speech, Zelenskyy said that Kiev’s armed forces had achieved successes in the south-east of the country. The Russian invaders were pushed back in the Cherson region. According to Ukrainian and Western estimates, Russia’s troops are still suffering heavy casualties. However, the conflict in eastern Ukraine is developing into an artillery duel.

The Russian army is now using its superiority in artillery and ammunition to gain land. In the past few days, Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian politicians have therefore appealed to Western allies to send more heavy weapons and missiles as quickly as possible.