The three bridges leading out of the besieged Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk have been made impassable by Russian shelling, cutting off the last evacuation and supply routes in and out of the city.
The governor of the Luhansk region announced on Monday that the last bridge across the river separating Severodonetsk from the city of Lysychansk had been destroyed by Russian forces. A second bridge was destroyed over the weekend, according to the governor, and a third bridge is impassable for vehicles because of sustained shelling. The Ukrainian official now estimates that Severodonetsk, the last major city in Luhansk not occupied by Russia, is 70%-80% under Russian control.
“The bridges made it possible to carry at least some humanitarian cargo, something related to reserves. It is currently impossible to use the bridges,” Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said on Monday, according to a report.
Haidai said getting weapons and troops into the city would now be “difficult, but not impossible.”
WIKIPEDIA APPEALS RUSSIAN COURT ORDER TO REMOVE ARTICLES ON WAR IN UKRAINE
The governor added that Russian forces still do not control the entire city despite the dire circumstances Ukrainian troops are facing.
“Part of the city is still controlled by Ukrainian defenders. If they had complete control of the city, Russian soldiers would not have died there,” Haidai said, according to a report.
The mayor of Severodonetsk, Oleksandr Stryuk, said on Tuesday that nearly 600 people were holed up in the bomb shelter of a chemical plant in the city with access to food stocks. He confirmed that there are still some roads leading into the city despite the destruction of the three bridges.
The governor added that the neighboring city of Lysychansk is under Russian assault as well.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Lysychansk is already being shelled very powerfully, with … heavy caliber [weapons], they are destroying everything: both humanitarian headquarters and hospitals. But from Lysychansk, there is still an opportunity to evacuate people and pick up humanitarian goods every day,” Haidai said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that the battles in the Donbas region “will surely go down in military history as one of the most brutal battles in Europe.”
