striuk: Ukraine’s Severodonetsk ‘fully occupied’ by Russian army: mayor Oleksandr Striuk

“The town has been absolutely occupied by the Russians,” mayor Oleksandr Striuk stated.

Afterward Saturday, the Russian defence ministry’s spokesman Igor Konashenkov introduced the “whole liberation” of Severodonetsk in addition to close by villages Borivske, Voronove and Syrotyne.

“All territory on the left financial institution of the Donets river throughout the limits of the Lugansk area is beneath management” of Russian and pro-Russian forces, he stated.

The Ukrainian military on Friday stated it could withdraw its forces from the town of round 100,000 inhabitants earlier than the conflict to raised defend the neighbouring metropolis of Lysychansk.

Each lie within the wider Lugansk area.

Striuk stated civilians had began to evacuate the Azot chemical plant, the place a number of hundred individuals had been hiding from Russian shelling.

“These individuals have spent virtually three months of their lives in basements, shelters. That is robust emotionally and bodily,” he stated, including they might now want medical and psychological help.

Professional-Moscow separatists stated Russian and pro-Russian forces had taken management of the Azot manufacturing facility and “evacuated” greater than 800 civilians sheltering there.

The forces have “taken full management of the Azot plant industrial zone”, a separatist consultant Andrei Marochko stated on Telegram.

One other separatist spokesman, Ivan Filiponenko, stated that round 800 civilians who had taken refuge within the plant throughout weeks of preventing had been “evacuated”.

The Russians additionally taking management of Lysychansk would successfully give the them management of the broader Lugansk area, and permit them to push additional into the broader Donbas.