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Russian forces push into pivotal city in Eastern Ukraine

2022-05-31 00:00:00.0 铸币报-政治原网页

KYIV (UKRAINE) : Russian forces advanced Monday into the center of Severodonetsk, one of the last Ukrainian strongholds in the eastern Donbas region, where Moscow is now concentrating its offensive.

The battle for Severodonetsk has in many ways resembled the fight for Mariupol, where Russian-backed forces worked to encircle the city while constant shelling reduced most buildings to rubble.

The fight underscores the central role of artillery in the east of Ukraine as Russia tries to avoid losing more manpower in urban fighting. The city’s fall would likely free up Russian soldiers for their next assault on the Ukrainian cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, which would be the last redoubts of Ukrainian forces in the east.

Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk province, which together with neighboring Donetsk makes up the Donbas region, said Monday morning that all critical infrastructure in Severodonetsk had been destroyed, as had 60% of the residential housing. Speaking on Ukrainian television, he described the pattern of the battle: several hours of Russian shelling, followed by a push by troops to advance further into the city.

“The smell of corpses is constant, because they do not take away the bodies," Mr. Haidai said. “They are firing everything in the arsenal of the Russian Federation." Ukrainian troops were trying to hold out until more heavy weapons could be delivered, he said.

Mr. Haidai said the city of Lysychansk, just across the river from Severodonetsk, remained under Ukrainian control, and that the highway out of the city remained clear, though Russian fire led Ukrainian forces to evacuate people through other routes.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told French television channel TF1 that what he called the liberation of the two provinces of the Donbas, which Moscow considers independent states, is “an unconditional priority.’’

Russia’s forces were so concentrated on Severodonetsk that they likely wouldn’t be able to conduct major operations elsewhere in the country, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Still, Russia continued airstrikes elsewhere in Ukraine, an indication that Moscow’s ambitions stretch beyond Donbas.

The Sumy and Kharkiv regions, in northern Ukraine, and Kryvyi Rih in the south, were all hit with airstrikes, according to Ukrainian officials Monday morning. In addition, officials said reinforcements were being sent to Russian positions around Ukraine.

Russia said it had also struck targets in the country’s south, including Ukraine’s military southern command.

Kirill Stremousov, the Russian-appointed deputy head of the military-civil administration of the Kherson region, said farmers in the region had begun exporting wheat to Russia, Russian newswires reported. Ukraine has previously accused Russia of stealing its grain supplies, as well as blocking grain exports, which has led to food shortages in some parts of the world.

Ukrainian forces in the south, near Kherson, conducted a successful counteroffensive over the weekend, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Though they were unlikely to retake more territory, they might force Russia to deploy more resources to the region.

The governor of Russia’s Kursk region said Monday that the Defense Ministry would be sending more forces to the province to protect against alleged Ukrainian cross-border attacks. Russia has blamed Kyiv for a number of strikes on fuel depots and critical infrastructure inside Russian territory.

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Meanwhile, leaders of the European Union’s 27 countries were set to meet in Brussels on Monday afternoon to discuss issues related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

EU leaders have been trying for weeks to agree on a sixth package of sanctions on Russia, this one focused on oil exports. Some EU countries that depend heavily on Russian oil, particularly Hungary, have been balking at cutting off the flow, arguing the economic impact would be too great.

On Monday, EU officials representing member states agreed on a preliminary text for leaders to review, but it remained unclear if Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban would accept the draft, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The draft text, potentially for adoption at the summit, says leaders agree to a sixth package of sanctions, covering crude oil and petroleum products from Russia “with a temporary exception for crude oil delivered by pipeline," according to a draft reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Landlocked Hungary receives all its Russian oil by pipeline. Piped oil accounts for about one-third of EU imports of Russian oil, with the rest coming by ship.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address the gathering by video and is likely to urge both greater support for his country and intensified efforts to punish Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin.

In a video address released late Sunday night, Mr. Zelensky reiterated the country’s need for more weapons to push back the Russians. He also contrasted the brutal fighting in the east with the relative peace in the capital, as Kyiv residents celebrated the 1,540th anniversary of the city’s founding.

On Sunday afternoon, Kyiv residents packed the capital’s streets, sat by the riverfront and watched outdoor performances of traditional Ukrainian song and dance.

“It is for such happiness to live, live your normal life and just quietly walk the streets of your own city that this war is going on now. That’s what we are fighting for in it," Mr. Zelensky said. “Freedom and peace is what could really be felt in Kyiv today. Even in spite of the air-raid siren that sounded today as well."

—Daniel Michaels, Illia Oliinyk and Laurence Norman contributed to this article.