Advancing Russian forces reach key highway out of Donbas cities
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[May 26, 2022] By
Pavel Polityuk and Conor Humphries
KYIV/SVITLODARSK, Ukraine (Reuters)
-Advancing Russian forces came closer to surrounding Ukrainian troops in
the east, briefly seizing positions on the last highway out of a crucial
pair of Ukrainian-held cities before being beaten back, a Ukrainian
official said on Thursday.
Russia has poured thousands of troops into its assault in the eastern
Donbas region, attacking from three sides in an attempt to encircle
Ukrainian forces in Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. The cities' fall
would bring nearly the whole of Luhansk province under Russian control,
a key Kremlin war aim.
Serhiy Gaidai, governor of Luhansk province, acknowledged that Ukrainian
forces were retreating, but said the last road out of Lysychansk and
Sievierodonetsk, which straddle the Siversky Donets river, remained
outside Russian control.
In an interview posted on social media, Gaidai said "around 50" Russian
soldiers had reached the highway linking Lysychansk to Ukrainian-held
Bakhmut, and "managed to gain a foothold for some time. They even set up
some kind of checkpoint there".
"The checkpoint was broken, they were thrown back. That is to say, the
Russian army does not control the route now, but they are shelling it,"
he added.
"From the first day, the entire territory, all the positions of the
military, have been shelled. Many of our fortified structures were
destroyed," Gaidai said. "It is clear that our boys are slowly
retreating to more fortified positions - we need to hold back this
horde."
He hinted at further Ukrainian withdrawals, saying it was possible
troops would leave "one settlement, maybe two. We need to win the war,
not the battle".
Western military analysts see the battle for the two cities as a
potential turning point in the war, now that Russia has defined its
principal objective as capturing the east.
'SOBERING'
Reuters journalists operating in Russian-held territory further south
saw proof of Moscow's advance in the town of Svitlodarsk, where
Ukrainian forces withdrew earlier this week.
The town is now under firm control of pro-Russian fighters, who have
occupied the local government building and hung a red flag bearing the
Soviet hammer and sickle at the door.
Drone footage filmed by Reuters journalists of the nearby abandoned
battlefield showed scores of craters pockmarking a green field
surrounded by wrecked buildings. Pro-Russian fighters were milling about
in trenches.
Russia's recent gains in the Donbas follow the surrender of Ukraine's
garrison in Mariupol last week, and suggest a shift in momentum on the
battlefield after weeks in which Ukrainian forces had advanced near
Kharkiv in the northeast.
"Recent Russian gains offer a sobering check on expectations for the
near term," tweeted defence analyst Michael Kofman, director of Russian
studies at the U.S.-based CNA think-tank.
Russian troops have broken through Ukrainian lines at Popasna south of
Sievierodonetsk and are threatening to encircle Ukrainian forces, he
wrote.
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Territorial Defence Force member Dimitry, who turns 22 the day
after, hugs his girlfriend Valentine, 17, before boarding a train
for the front line, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv,
Ukraine, May 25, 2022. REUTERS/Edgar Su
"The extent to which this breakthrough at Popasna
threatens Ukraine's overall position depends on whether or not
Russian forces gain momentum. That in turn hinges on force
availability, reserves, and logistics to support this advance."
Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Vadym Denisenko told a briefing
the situation was very tense as 25 Russian battalions attempted to
surround the Ukrainian forces. A full-strength battalion has around
800 troops.
"Everything now is focused on the Donbas."
HOMES DESTROYED
Three months into its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has abandoned its
assault on the capital Kyiv and is trying to consolidate control of
the industrial eastern Donbas region, where it has backed a
separatist revolt since 2014.
The Russian advance has been backed by massive artillery
bombardment. Ukraine's armed forces said more than 40 towns in the
region had been shelled in the past 24 hours, destroying or damaging
47 civilian sites, including 38 homes and a school.
Global attention this week has focused on Russia's blockade of
Ukraine's Black Sea ports, which has halted exports from one of the
world's biggest suppliers of grain and cooking oil. The United
Nations says the blockade could worsen global hunger.
Western countries have demanded Moscow lift the blockade. Russia
says Western financial sanctions on Russia are to blame for the food
crisis, although it has not explained how this is linked to its
naval blockade of Ukrainian ports.
"We categorically do not accept these accusations. On the contrary,
we blame Western countries for taking actions that have led to
this," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call
with reporters on Thursday.
Peskov said Moscow expects Ukraine to accept its demands at any
future peace talks. It has demanded Kyiv accept Russian sovereignty
over the Crimea peninsula Moscow seized in 2014 and recognise the
independence of separatist-claimed territory.
Kyiv rejects those demands. In a speech to dignitaries in Davos,
Switzerland, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Russian President
Vladimir Putin must not be permitted to dictate the terms of any
peace agreement.
"There will be no dictated peace," Scholz said. "Ukraine will not
accept this, and neither will we."
(Additional reporting by Max Hunder in Kyiv and Reuters journalists
in SvitlodarskWriting by Peter GraffEditing by Gareth Jones)
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