Russia and Ukraine have been shelling and fighting for many days in the Donbass area in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian government's Luhansk region governor said that the Russian army has controlled about 80% of the area in Severodonetsk, and the Ukrainian army could only retreat to a factory in the suburbs to wait for reinforcements. However, the Russian army destroyed external connections The three bridges in the city have turned the city into an isolated island. Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said that the casualties on the Ukrainian side in this battle were very high, and it is now "impossible" to evacuate civilians on a large scale. NATO and other Western countries believe that the Russia-Ukraine war has entered a critical stage, and the West must make a decision as soon as possible, otherwise the cost of continuing to support Ukraine will continue to rise.
However, the Russian army has not yet completely blocked the city, and there is still a chance to evacuate the wounded and civilians. A senior NATO official revealed that if Ukraine can hold on here, it will be very important for the next situation, but by closely monitoring the frontline battle situation, we know that this idea is simply impossible. The Russian army may continue to siege cities and territories in the Donbas region of Donbas, and is likely to redefine the war goals. It is only a matter of time before victory is achieved. Russia now has the strategic initiative and can end the battle at any time and retreat. Russia is also afraid that the conflict will reach a stalemate, which will last for months or years, causing a large number of casualties on both sides and continuing to drain its own economy.
The Russian army has captured most of the urban area of Severodonetsk and has forced the Ukrainian army to retreat to a factory on the outskirts of the city. The factory is currently being violently attacked by the Russian army. The defenders can no longer bear it. The mental state is on the verge of collapse. The Russian army has destroyed all communication bridges in Severodonetsk and wants the Ukrainian army trapped in the Azote Chemical Plant to surrender. The fierce battle between Severodonetsk and Kharkiv continues, because the Donbass region is too important and is the key to who will dominate in the coming weeks.
Today's Severodonetsk city is just like Mariupol in the past. Fierce fighting continues. Russia and Ukraine repeatedly compete for some strongholds, resulting in the destruction of most of the urban infrastructure. However, because the defenders were surrounded, it was difficult to supply weapons, ammunition, personnel, materials and medicines, and they became an isolated island. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it will give the Ukrainian army trapped in the Azote Chemical Plant in Severonetsk a chance to surrender, stop resisting and lay down their weapons. The Ukrainian army besieged in Severonetsk has only two options, either to surrender or to fight to the end.
The Russian army once promised to "liberate Luhansk", so Severodonetsk has become the focus of the Russian army's offensive, even if it is a "hard nut", it must be gnawed hard. The Ukrainian army retreated to the Azov Chemical Plant. As one of the largest factories in Ukraine, the Azov Chemical Plant has many underground air raid shelters. Experts have estimated that it can accommodate more than 2,000 people. According to statistics from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, about 100-200 Ukrainian soldiers are killed every day, and hundreds more are injured. Zelensky said that the casualties of the Ukrainian army are very horrific, calling the battle in the Donbas region one of the most brutal battles in Europe. one.
Faced with the corrupt war situation, Ukraine continues to call on Western countries to provide more weapons support, but so far it has only received a small part of the Western commitments. The Russian army changed its initial goal of capturing the Ukrainian capital Kiev and captured a large area, and changed its tactics to concentrate most of its forces in eastern Ukraine. Therefore, capturing Severonetsk is very important to Russia's goal of capturing Donbass before more Western weapons arrive. Importantly, it is a contest with NATO and a race against time.
