Russia-Ukraine war: as fighting escalates in Severodonetsk, Moscow assures it has around 6,500 Ukrainian prisoners

While the Russian army continues its offensive, the Defense Minister has assured that 126 soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have surrendered in the last five days and that the total number amounts to 6,489.

In a meeting with senior officers of the Armed Forces, Sergej Shoigu He claimed that Russian troops have complete control of the residential areas of Severodonetsk, the last bastion of the Ukrainian army in Lugansk.

In addition, he warned that the Russian army continues its offensive in the Popasna region in order to end the siege of Ukrainian forces.

According to the minister, the offensive in Severodonetsk continues to control the industrial area, where Ukrainian troops have taken refuge.

In all, Shoigu said, “To date 97% of the territory of the Lugansk People’s Republic has been liberated”recognized by the Kremlin.

“A considerable part of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics were liberated along the left bank of the Severski Donets (river), including the cities of Krasny Liman and Svyatogorsk, as well as 15 other cities,” he said.

The minister highlighted the reconstruction work started in the territories under Russian control, noting that “the Russian Railways (RZD) with the support of the Russian Defense Ministry have created the conditions for the resumption of rail traffic between Russia, Donbas, Ukraine and Crimea of ​​six railway sections “.

“We have started freight transport to Mariupol, Berdyansk and Kherson,” he added, noting that it involves 1,200 kilometers of rail.

In addition, he noted that the port of Mariupol (Sea of ​​Azov) began to receive merchant ships.

“The demining of the port of Mariupol has been completed. It works normally and has received the first ships,” he said.

According to Shoigu, both in Mariupol and in other Ukrainian regions of Donbas under Russian control “Measures continue to be implemented to bring life back to normal.”

“In Mariupol, the supply of water and electricity to residential neighborhoods is gradually being restored, the streets are being cleaned and the first social institutions have started to function,” he said.

Regarding the Azovstal steel plant, refuge of the last defenders of the city until the surrender to the Russian troops, he assures that the plant has been completely cleared.

“The demining work continues. In total some 3,000 hectares have been overhauled and nearly 15,000 explosive devices have been deactivated. The territory of the Azovstal factory has been completely cleared, including the underground structures,” he concluded.

Ukraine needs 60 multiple rocket launchers

The Ukrainian military needs at least 60 multiple rocket launchers to stop the advance of Russian troops, Alexei Arestovich, a Ukrainian presidency adviser, said on Tuesday.

British Defense Minister Ben Wallace announced that the UK will send multiple M270 rocket launchers to Ukraine to take on Russian artillery.

“If we get 60 systems like this, the Russians will lose all ability to advance, we will stop them in their tracks.. If we take 40, they will advance, albeit very slowly and with many victims; with 20 they will continue to advance with more victims than now, “said Arestovich consulted by the newspaper The Guardian.

“The less (rocket launchers) we have, the worse our situation will be. Our troops will continue to die and we will continue to lose ground,” warned the advisor to the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, according to Sputnik reviews and news agencies Europe .

The UK plans to initially send three M270 systems to Ukraine and will train the Ukrainian military to use these launchers, which can fire 12 surface-to-surface missiles per minute at a range of up to 80 kilometers.

With information from EFE