Russians hit Chernihiv weapons depot with cruise missiles

LAST UPDATE 13:48

Russia fired a Kalibr cruise missile at an artillery depot in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine, the RIA news agency reported today, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Russian anti-aircraft forces shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter and a Mi-24 helicopter, TASS reported, citing the Russian ministry.

Russian forces destroyed another bridge in Severodonetsk

Russian forces have destroyed a third bridge connecting Sheverodonetsk with the neighboring city of Lysichansk, Ukrainian Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk said today, noting that the key city in eastern Ukraine is not “isolated” and that Ukrainian forces have no stronghold.

“Massive bombings have destroyed a third bridge, but the city is not isolated. There are channels of communication even if they are quite complicated,” Stryuk told Ukrainian television.

“Civilian evacuations are still taking place” every minute when there is a break and there is a possibility of transportation, “Stryuk said.

“The Russian troops are not giving up their efforts to occupy the city, but the military is holding on tight,” he said, adding that “street battles are taking place” and that “the situation is changing from hour to hour.”

Lisichansk and Sheverodonetsk are neighboring cities separated by the river Seversky Donetsk.

Striuk also noted that “540 to 560 people” have taken refuge in the basements of the large bombed Azot chemical plant. Although the supply is “difficult”, there are “some stocks” inside the factory, he added. “The enemy is dismantling our biggest operation.”

“The Russians are trying to encircle the Ukrainians in Sheverodonetsk, Lysitshansk and the nearby Privilia and Borivsk region,” Luhansk regional governor Sergei Gaidai said today, adding that “Moscow forces received reinforcements from the two.”

“The situation in Severodonetsk has deteriorated tremendously – the Russians are destroying high-rise buildings and Nitrogen,” Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Gaidai told the Telegram in a statement to Russian which had taken refuge hundreds of civilians and that Ukrainian forces had left the center of Sheverodonetsk.

Russian forces are “trying to gain ground in the central part of the city,” the Ukrainian military said in a daily briefing on the clashes in various parts of the country.

Gaidai wrote in a social media post yesterday that about 70% of Sheverodonetsk is under enemy control and that the destruction of the last bridge over the Donetsk River leading to the twin city of Lisichansk means that any civilians are still in the area. Sheverodonetsk are trapped and that it is impossible to deliver humanitarian supplies.

Gaidai, however, had described the situation of Ukrainian soldiers remaining in the city as “difficult but under control”.

Ukraine has made urgent calls for more heavy weapons from the West to help defend Sheverodonetsk, which Kyiv says could be the key to the battle for the eastern Donbass region and the course of the war now in its fourth month.

Late last night, Monday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the battle for Donbass would remain one of the most brutal in European history. This region, which includes Luhansk and Donetsk, is claimed by Russian-speaking separatists.

“For us, the stakes of this battle are very high. It’s just scary,” Zelensky said.

“We draw the attention of our partners every day to the fact that only a sufficient number of modern artillery for Ukraine will ensure our advantage,” he noted.

The capture of Sheverodonetsk, a city of 100,000, would give Moscow control of the Luhansk region and pave the way for another large city, Kramatorsk, which is the capital of the neighboring Donetsk region. This is considered a necessary stage for the conquest of the entire Donbass Valley, a predominantly Russian-speaking region that has been partly under the control of pro-Russian separatists since 2014.

Russia’s main goal is to protect Donetsk and Luhansk, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov said yesterday, following a request by one of the pro-Russian separatist regions in Ukraine for additional forces from Moscow.

Ukraine needs 1,000 howitzers, 500 tanks and 1,000 drones, among other heavy weapons, Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Mikhail Pontolyak said yesterday.

The most recent Moscow report states that Russian forces destroyed American and European weapons and equipment in Ukraine.

Russia’s Defense Ministry says high-precision missiles struck near the Udakhne railway station northwest of Donetsk, hitting equipment delivered to Ukrainian forces.

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry told the Telegram that Udakhne had been hit by a Russian airstrike overnight in the early hours of Monday, without specifying whether any weapons had been targeted.