On the 31 of May, the Government of Kyiv announced that most of the city of Sievierodonetsk has been occupied by Russian forces; this event is extremely relevant as the city represents one of the main objectives of Russia’s invasion of the country and one of the two provinces that Russia claims on behalf of separatists. However, the Russian assault of the city was not as easy as expected, due to strong resistance from Ukrainian forces who tried to counteract one of the war's three-month-long greatest ground assaults.
"Most of Sievierodonetsk is under the control of the Russians. The town is not surrounded and the prerequisites for it to be are not in place," Serhiy Gaidai Luhansk's regional governor, said. To make things worse, in Sievierodonetsk, practically all-important infrastructures had been destroyed, and 60 percent of residential property had been damaged. The governor also said that it had become impossible to bring relief or evacuate individuals due to Russian shelling and as a consequence, thousands of people are still stranded in the city.
Moreover, Jan Egeland, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council aid agency which operates in the area, pointed out the urgency of the situation by stating that "The near-constant bombardment is forcing civilians to seek refuge in bomb shelters and basements, with only few precious opportunities for those trying to escape". Meanwhile, the US is preparing a new weapons package to send to Ukraine, while the European Union has approved the Russian oil embargo, banning 90% of Russian exports by the end of the year.
To read more, visit:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/31/russian-forces-sievierodonetsk-ukraine-fighting-city
di Alexia Tenneriello
