Ukraine pleads for more weapons, cholera spreads in Mariupol

BATTLE FOR SIEVIERODONETSK

Russia hopes to capture all of the eastern province of Luhansk, which it demands Ukraine cede to separatists along with neighbouring Donetsk. The two provinces make up the Donbas region, where Moscow has backed a revolt by separatist proxies since 2014.

To that end, the Kremlin has concentrated its forces into a battle for Sievierodonetsk, which is in Luhansk.

Ukrainian troops have largely pulled out of the city’s residential areas but have not yielded their foothold on the east bank of the Siverskiy Donets River. Russian forces are also pushing from the north and south to try to encircle the Ukrainians, but have made limited progress.

Ukraine’s army command said on Saturday that Russia troops had secured positions in two communities near Sievierodonetsk, while Serhiy Gaidai, the Luhansk governor, said Russians were in control of “most” of the city.

Gaidai said the main road from Bakhmut to Lysychansk/Sievierodonetsk was being constantly shelled but there had been no changes in positions.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said the Russians had not made advances into the south of Sievierodonetsk.

“Intense street to street fighting is ongoing and both sides are likely suffering high numbers of casualties,” the ministry said in an intelligence update posted on Twitter.

Ukraine said Russia had regrouped troops and replenished ammunition and fuel supplies in preparation for offensives in Sloviansk and Siversk, cities in the Donetsk region.

“HAPPY TOWNS” IN RUINS

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was trying to “break every town in the Donbas.”

“Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk, Bakhmut, Sloviansk, many, many others,” he said in his nightly address. “All these ruins were once happy towns.”

Both sides say they have inflicted mass casualties. Reuters could not immediately verify battlefield reports.

Zelenskyy adviser Oleksiy Arestovych estimated the Russian army is losing on average five to six times as many fighters as the Ukrainian side.

Asked in a social media interview whether that suggested the Ukrainian army had lost up to 10,000 fighters in the first 100 days of the war, Arestovych said, “Yes, something like that.”