KYIV: ussian forces swarmed into the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk and pounded a zone where hundreds of civilians were sheltering, a Ukrainian official said Monday, a scene that mirrored Moscow’s brutal capture of Mariupol last month.
Ukraine has issued increasingly urgent calls for more Western weapons to help defend Severodonetsk, which Kyiv says could hold the key to the outcome of the battle for control of the eastern Donbass region and the future course of the war.
Russian forces have taken most of Severodonetsk, having pulverized parts of the city in one of the bloodiest assaults since they invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, and victory there could give them momentum in a wider battle for control over Ukraine’s Donbass region.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday its missiles had destroyed a large quantity of weapons and military equipment in the Donbass region, including some that had been sent by the United States and European nations. The ministry also said high-precision air-based missiles had struck near the Udachne railway station, hitting equipment that had been delivered to Ukrainian forces.
Meanwhile, in a report that was not confirmed by the Ukrainian side, a Russian-backed separatist said the last bridge into the city had been destroyed on Sunday, effectively blockading its Ukrainian defenders inside.
“They have two options: either follow the example of their fellow soldiers and surrender, or die,” Russia’s RIA news agency quoted separatist spokesperson Eduard Basurin as saying. “They have no other option.”
Regional governor Sergei Gadai had said on Sunday evening the last crossing over the Donets River was still standing after another bridge was destroyed earlier in the day.
“The third bridge is working. But the condition of the bridge is threatening: it is half-destroyed, it is impossible for trucks to move on it,” he said.
On Monday he said fighting was raging in the city, where Ukrainian forces were defending building by building. –Agencies
