Russian troops stepped up their offensive on Tuesday in Sievierodonetsk and Lysytchansk, twin cities home to the last pocket of resistance from the Ukrainian army in the Luhansk region.
For several days the Russian army has been trying to surround the two cities, located respectively on the east and west of the Siverskiy Donets river, but so far in vain.
Sieverodonetsk is completely under the control of the Ukrainian authorities. But it is really very difficult regional governor Serguiï Gaïdaï commented on the Telegram.
” Now we see that the number of shellings in Sievierodonetsk has increased. They are just destroying the whole city. “
The Russians bombed the center of the region in a chaotic and uninterrupted mannerthe governor added in a subsequent message.
According to Mr. Gaïdaï, four people who probably lived in the same apartment were killed in the morning when a Russian strike hit their apartment building.
About 15,000 people still live in Sievierodonetsk, the governor estimated.
" We understand that the Russians have now thrown all their forces to seize it or besiege the entire part of the Luhansk region controlled by Ukraine. "
Further west, in the Donetsk region, the Ukrainian army remains in control of the situation, even if sirens can be heard warning citizens of possible bombardments.
Reuters reporters who were there reported that they saw busy streets, a crowded local market, children cycling in the streets and a violinist playing outside a grocery store.
Two buses are preparing to attempt to drive towards Lyman, northwest of Sloviansk, to evacuate civilians struggling under heavy fire by the Russian army.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry also spoke about the intense fighting taking place around Popasna, as well as in the Luhansk region, and Bakhmout, in the neighboring Donetsk region.
The fall of Bakhmut would give the Russians control over a crossroads that currently serves as an impromptu command center for most of the Ukrainian war effort.
Despite the dangers they face, city residents I don't want to leavecomplained its deputy mayor Maxim Soutkovyï, in front of a half -empty bus ready to take civilians to a safer place.
Reuters reporters said on Monday that they had witnessed intense shooting on the road linking Bakhmout to Lysytchansk. Armored vehicles, tanks and rocket launchers of the Ukrainian army were heading to the front line.
Kharkiv metro service resumes
After a nearly three -month delay due to Russia’s offensive, the Kharkiv metro, which has long served as a bomb shelter for residents of Ukraine’s second most populous city, resumed operations on Tuesday.
It's weird. People have lived here for three months and now it seems like a normal day, where you go to work as usual.summary by Artyom Zelensky, 28, a bodybuilder in a garage, who was one of thousands of Kharkiv residents who rode the metro in the early hours of its opening.
" It's hard to stay home. You have to work, rebuild the city, earn money to survive. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. "
The leash around Kharkiv has loosened in recent weeks, due to a counter-offensive by the Ukrainian army, and Russian forces seem to have given up on trying to recapture it, concentrating more troops south and east of country, where the battle continues. .
The Kharkiv metro, a city with 1.4 million inhabitants before the war, welcomes 158 million people a year on its three lines with approximately thirty stations. Three stations northeast of the city, an area still battered by artillery, remain closed, and hundreds of people still live there.
Authorities asked people who took refuge at other metro stations to leave before Sunday, offering them temporary shelter while many buildings in the city were destroyed or in dangerous areas.
Trains only pass every 20 or 30 minutes right now, but speeds should increase in the coming days. Transportation there will be free for the next 15 days, Mayor Igor Terekhov told the press, symbolically taking the metro on Tuesday.
" We decided to relaunch the meter because we needed to relaunch the economy. Many people are out of work, and have no money. "
Retired, Tetyana Volkova, 64, told herself happy to return to normal life. We are in the cellars and we can go out againhe explains, toward friend he had not seen in a long time.
But, when the military situation is mentioned, his face darkens and tears seem to be suppressed. He is confessing In fear. Everything is in God's hands. I don’t understand, it’s bad and it can’t last. I'd rather not talk.
Source: Radio-Canada