Ukraine’s battle against Russian troops in the eastern region of the Donbas will determine which way the war will go, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday, asking his nation to stay strong in the face of Moscow’s devastating attacks against two key cities.
As the outcome of the war in Ukraine hangs in balance, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg endorsed Ukraine’s increasing desperate calls for more weapons to be sent, urging allies to speed up deliveries to Kyiv.
Russian troops have intensified their efforts to cut off Ukrainian troops remaining in the industrial hub of Sievierodonetsk, destroying all three bridges which connect across the river to the twin city of Lysychansk.
“Unfortunately, there are painful losses. But we must stay strong. This is our nation. Hanging in there in Donbas is crucial. Donbas is the key to deciding who will dominate in the coming week,” Zelensky said in a video address.
About 500 civilians were taking shelter under “heavy fire” in the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk, Oleksandr Stryuk, the head of the city’s administration, told Ukrainian television.
The Russian defence ministry said it was ready to organise an evacuation on Wednesday from the plant to the separatist controlled part of the Lugansk region.
Russian troops have managed to push the Ukrainian forces back from Severodonestsk’s centre with Russian forces now controlling 70 to 80% of the city in their attempt to encircle it, according to region governor Sergiy Gaiday.
The capturing of Severodonetsk would open a road to Sloviansk and another city, Kramatorsk, as Moscow pushes to take over the Donbas region.
Source: Eyewitness News, News Max World, TRT World, image from Twitter