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On Saturday, Russian missiles rained down across Ukraine, striking military facilities in the west and north, as well as a southern city, as Europe’s largest land conflict since World War II entered its fifth month. On Friday, Russian heavy artillery strikes pounded the twin cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk in the eastern Luhansk region, crashing into a chemical plant where hundreds of civilians were trapped, according to a Ukrainian official.
Ukraine said on Friday that its troops had been ordered to withdraw from Sievierodonetsk because there was little left to defend after weeks of intense fighting, marking the country’s biggest setback since losing the port of Mariupol in May.
The announcement came four months to the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin dispatched tens of thousands of troops across the border, sparking a conflict that has killed thousands, displaced millions, and disrupted the global economy.
“There are 48 cruise missiles. Late at night. Throughout the country of Ukraine, “Mykhailo Podolyak, Ukraine’s presidential adviser, stated on Twitter. “Russia is still attempting to intimidate Ukraine, instil fear, and create panic.”
The latest Russian advances popped up to bring Moscow closer to gaining complete control of Luhansk, one of Putin’s goals, and set the stage for Lysychansk to become the next major focus.
Vitaly Kiselev, an official in the Ministry Of interior of the separatist Luhansk People’s Republic, which is only recognised by Russia, told Russia’s TASS news agency that full control of Lysychansk would take another week and a half.
On Saturday, Russian forces attacked Sievierodonetsk’s industrial zone and attempted to enter and blockade Lysychansk, according to Serhiy Gaidai, governor of the Luhansk region.
“Lysychansk was hit by an air strike. Artillery shelled Sievierodonetsk “Gaidai said on Telegram that the Azot chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk, as well as the villages of Synetsky and Pavlograd, had been shelled.
He made no mention of casualties at the Azot plant, and Reuters was unable to confirm the information immediately. Gaidai stated that 17 people were evacuated from Lysychansk on Friday by police officers, rescuers, and volunteers.
Military Installations
On television on Saturday, Kharatin Starskyi, the press officer of a Ukrainian National Guard brigade, said that the information flow about the withdrawal from Sievierodonetsk had been postponed to protect troops on the ground.
“Over the last (several) days, an operation was carried out to withdraw our troops,” Starskyi explained.
