The Ukrainian military may have to “retreat” to stronger positions in the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk amid heavy fighting in the city and frontline villages in the south as Russia pursues an advance on Donbas, they said. regional leaders.
Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk, said the Russians were trying to capture the city on Friday, while the road from neighboring Lysychansk to Bakhmut 30 miles southwest was being bombed too often to use. .
“The fight is still going on and no one will give up the city even if our military has to retreat to stronger positions. This does not mean that someone will give up the city: no one will give up anything. But it is possible [they] he will be forced to retire, “he said in a television interview.
But on his Telegram channel, the governor insisted that a withdrawal was not being planned. “It simply came to our notice then. Don’t spoil the mood of the armed forces! No one will surrender Severodonetsk! ” he said, adding that Ukraine’s defenders would fight for “every inch.”
Ukrainian advisers say that Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk are not strategic cities and that their goal is to degrade the Russian army by fighting hard for them. But they are the only remaining parts of Lugansk Oblast that are not under Russian control.
Russia changed its plan of invasion in April after its failed attempt to seize major cities in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa. The focus was on the Donbas, formed by the Lugansk and Donetsk oblast, the latter remaining more under Ukrainian control.
The Moscow Defense Ministry said: “The Ukrainian group in the Donbass is suffering significant losses in manpower, weapons and military equipment,” and said it had caused 480 casualties overnight in fighting in the Donbass and other parts of the world. country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly update that Russia was trying to “attract additional resources to the Donbas,” arguing that Moscow should resort to reinforcements because of the strength of the resistance.
The British Defense Ministry said in its morning update that Russia was attacking Sievierodonetsk and the Ukrainian pocket behind it “from three directions”. He added that “Ukraine’s defenses are holding up,” saying, “It is unlikely that either side has gained significant ground in the last 24 hours.”
The Ukrainian military reported an increase in airstrikes, as well as heavy bombardment, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar fire around Bakhmut, which aid agencies said was increasingly inaccessible to non-Bakhmut traffic. military.
Both sides continue to suffer heavy casualties, although it is impossible to obtain accurate estimates. Ukrainian officials say 100 or even 150 people a day are killed in action, while Zelenskiy said overnight that “Russia has been paying almost 300 lives a day” since launching the invasion on February 24. .
Fighting also continued around Mykolaiv, as Ukraine persisted in trying to make limited counterattacks towards the occupied city of Kherson. Russia said it had shot down two MiG-29s and a Mi-8 helicopter in the region, plus 11 drones.
Ukraine said Russia was trying to distribute passports in the occupied Kherson region, offering a payment of 10,000 rubles (132 pounds) as an incentive. The Kyiv National Resistance Center said the same amount was offered to the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region for the collection of “personal data”, but that the “vast majority” of the population refused to comply with the administration. of employment.
Sign up for First Edition, our free daily newsletter, every weekday morning at 7:00 BST
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that it was Ukraine’s responsibility to resolve the issue of reactivating grain shipments, which were stalled by a naval blockade of the Black Sea led by the Moscow Navy. a press conference this Wednesday with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
“We say on a daily basis that we are prepared to ensure the safety of ships leaving Ukrainian ports and heading for the Gulf of Bosphorus. either demining them or delimiting safe corridors, “he said.
Ukraine says it has no faith in the Russians and does not intend to try to open its ports except as part of a broader international agreement. Meanwhile, a Russian news agency reported that 11 grain wagons extracted from Ukrainian silos in areas occupied by Moscow force were being taken to Crimea.
On Tuesday, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that a road corridor had been opened between Russia and Crimea, which had been crossing occupied Ukrainian territory since February 24. The port of Mariupol, the scene of the fiercest fighting at the beginning of the war, had now been cleared and cargo ships were arriving.