Donbas region

The Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk is now under the "full occupation" of Russian forces following a weeks-long battle. Mayor Oleksand Stryuk said on national television: "The city is now under the full occupation of Russia. They are trying to establish their own order, as far as I know they have appointed some kind of commandant." Russia's Interfax news agency also cited the defence ministry as saying the city in the Luhansk was now under full control of Russian forces. Previously home to more than 100,000 people, Severodonetsk is now largely destroyed following concentrated shelling during the Russian offensive. The plan from Ukrainian officials was reportedly never to fend off the Russian advance, but rather fight a war of attrition leaving Vladimir Putin's forces vulnerable to a counter-offensive. Advertisement Having withdrawn from Severodonestk, Ukrainian forces will be looking to mount another defence at the nearby city of Lysyschansk, across … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: Severodonetsk now under Russian control following weeks-long battle

“Massive” Russian bombardment of Ukraine’s battleground eastern Lugansk region and key city Severodonetsk has been “hell” for soldiers there, Kyiv said, while insisting that defenders would hold “as long as necessary”. Moscow’s troops have been pummelling eastern Ukraine for weeks and are slowly advancing, despite fierce resistance from the outgunned Ukrainian military. With President Vladimir Putin’s forces tightening their grip on the strategically important city of Severodonetsk in the Donbas, its twin city of Lysychansk is now coming under heavier bombardment. “The Russian army is massively shelling Lysychansk,” Sergiy Gaiday, governor of the Lugansk region, which includes both cities, wrote on Telegram. “They are just destroying everything there... They destroyed buildings and unfortunately there are casualties.” He later wrote that “it’s just hell out there” after four months of shelling in Severodonetsk, across the Donets river — while adding that “our boys are … [Read more...] about Key Ukrainian city Severodonetsk under ‘massive’ Russian bombardment

Boris Johnson has urged world leaders to hold their nerve to stop Putin “mincing up” the people of Ukraine . Before he jetted to the G7 tonight, the Prime Minister said there was a risk that the war “all just becomes very static, and that the Russians continue to grind on around Severodonetsk. “And you know, just keep mincing, you know, mincing up the Ukrainians.” He then immediately withdrew the word “mincing”, saying: “Let me choose a better word… just keep grinding forward, that's a better way of putting it - keep grinding forward. That is the risk.” The Prime Minister warned there is a risk world leaders say “we can't take it anymore” and exchange Ukrainian territory for a peace deal. On Sunday, he’s expected to warn G7 leaders: “Now is not the time to give up on Ukraine.” The Western coalition backing President Volodymyr Zelensky ’s forces has shown signs of fracturing over claims Ukraine should relinquish some territory to Russia to speed-up a peace pact. But … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson urges leaders to hold nerve and stop Putin ‘mincing up’ Ukrainians

Russian forces have fully occupied Sievierodonetsk, the mayor of the eastern Ukrainian city said on Saturday, confirming Ukraine’s biggest battlefield setback for more than a month, after weeks of some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. Pro-Russian separatists said Moscow’s forces were now attacking the last major Ukrainian-held bastion in eastern Luhansk province, Sievierodonetsk’s twin city Lysychansk on the opposite bank of the Siverskyi Donets river. The fall of Sievierodonetsk – once home to more than 100,000 people, now a wasteland – was Russia’s biggest victory since capturing the port of Mariupol last month. It transforms the battlefield in the east after weeks in which Moscow’s huge advantage in firepower had yielded only slow gains. Russia will now be hoping to press on and seize more ground on the opposite bank, while Ukraine will hope that the price Moscow paid to capture the ruins of the small city will leave Russia’s forces vulnerable to a counterattack in … [Read more...] about Ukraine Confirms Fall of Sievierodonetsk After Weeks-long Fight

Ukrainian troops have “almost left” Sievierodonetsk after weeks of intense fighting against Russian forces , the mayor of the eastern city said on Saturday, signaling the biggest setback for Ukraine since losing the port of Mariupol in May. The retreat from Sievierodonetsk, if confirmed, would bring Moscow close to full control of Luhansk, with Ukrainian troops in the province largely holding out only in Sievierodonetsk’s twin city Lysychansk, across the Siverskyi Donets river. “Unfortunately, they have almost left the city,” Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk said on national television. He did not confirm whether a full withdrawal was underway after regional authorities said on Friday that Ukraine was set to withdraw its troops from there. Russia’s pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper said one of its correspondents had arrived in the Azot industrial zone of Sievierodonetsk, where Ukrainian forces had been making a stand in recent weeks. Ramzan Kadyrov , the head of Russia’s … [Read more...] about Russian missiles pound Ukraine as troops withdraw from key eastern city of Sievierodonetsk

Russia has hit Ukraine with multiple missile strikes across the country with blasts in Kyiv, Lviv and Kharkiv, it is reported. Many Ukrainians have told on social media of heavy shelling with Kharkiv targeted on the east but also Lviv has been bombed on the west and the Ukrainian capital Kyiv has had some of its worst attacks since March. Air raid sirens have been ringing out throughout the night in major cities in Ukraine while there have also been claims that shelling has come from the direction of Russia's ally Belarus. One person said of bombings in Zhytomyr, to the west of Kyiv, that it has been the worst so far. Reports on social media say multiple cities have been hit. File image of scene near Kyiv ( Image: Ukrinform/REX/Shutterstock) "Zhytomyr is being blown apart today, we have already had three or four attacks (and I am even quiet now about explosions, there are already so many of them that I don't take notice). You sit and think it has … [Read more...] about Multiple explosions reported all across Ukraine with blasts in Kyiv, Lviv and Kharkiv