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AFP
Russia plans to evacuate Severodonetsk factory to surround the city
Russia announced on Tuesday that it would establish a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from a chemical plant in Severodonetsk as the two sides fought over control of a major city in the Donbus region of eastern Ukraine. Russian troops stepped up efforts to block Ukrainian troops, still in the center of industry, destroying all three bridges connecting the river to Lysychans’k. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the “suppressed behavior” of European leaders and again sued heavy weapons from the West. Moscow has been targeting twin cities for weeks as the last region of the Lugansk region of Donbas, still under Ukrainian control. Oleksandr Stryuk, head of the Severodonetsk administration, told Ukrainian television that communication with cities has become “complex” as conditions on the ground change from hour to hour. According to Striuk, about 500 civilians were evacuated under a “big fire” at the Azoth chemical plant in Severodonetsk. The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that it was “ready to organize a humanitarian operation” to evacuate the factory to a separatist-controlled area in the Lugansk region. -“Surrender or die”-Regional Governor Sergiy Gaidy said on Monday that Ukrainian troops were pushed back from the center of Severodonetsk and Russians ruled 70-80% of the city in an attempt to “surround” it. Occupation of Severodonetsk in Slovyansk and another major city in the promotion of Moscow to conquer Dombas, a predominantly Russian-speaking region that has been partially retained by pro-Kremlin separatists since 2014. It will pave the way for a Kramatorsk. The war could only be ended when only Ukrainians were left on their territory. How long it took was “very” dependent on international support and “the individuality of the leaders of European countries.” He regretted the “restrained behavior of some leaders” he said, “very slowing the supply of weapons.” Zelensky has repeatedly urged the West to deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine as soon as possible. -“It’s not safe everywhere”-The AFP team saw black smoke rising from a high position in Lysychans’k, from the Azoth factory in Severodonetsk and another part of the city. Ukrainian troops use the hills to set fire across the water with Russian troops fighting for control of Severodonetsk. Along the road from Lysychans’k to Kramatorsk, Ukrainian troops carried more weapon systems forward, including the M777 howitzer, and special vehicles carried tanks for repair. In the town of Novodorjesk, near Lysychans’k, there was still burning smoke from a group of houses burned down on the weekend, leaving only the chimneys. “It’s not safe everywhere, it just depends on the time of day, that’s it,” said a soldier standing at the local fire department with a skull logo on his sleeve. “There are (still) a lot of people here,” he added. Further away in Slovyansk, 41-year-old Natalia said an unemployed cleaner is trying to decide whether to evacuate. “If people start bombing the town violently, they will leave again,” she told AFP. “If you’re like Mariupol, you’ll give me a bus. I’ll leave when the Russians enter Slovyansk.”-“Positive signal”-The European Union needs to “give a positive signal” to Ukraine, a candidate for Ukraine It needs to be “open” to give the status of, said Clement Beaune, the European Minister of France, on Tuesday. Ukraine has applied to become a member of the block and the European Commission will make its recommendations in the coming days. However, some member states are skeptical of the potentially rapid accession of Ukraine. Beaune said the process was “time consuming” and added that “stopping the war” was a top priority. “Ukraine is fighting and defending our shared European values. At least we must be candidates for the EU,” Zelensky said Tuesday. Russian energy giant Gazprom announced on Tuesday that it would cut gas supplies to the EU via the Nord Stream pipeline by 40% due to delays in returning compressor units from Germany’s Siemens. Many European countries, including Germany, where underwater pipelines make land, rely heavily on Russia’s gas supply for energy demand. The Kremlin, meanwhile, said the two British men sentenced to death by pro-Moscow separatist authorities in eastern Ukraine had not been requested by London to intervene. Aiden Aslin and Sean Pinner, along with Morocco’s Saudun Brahim, were convicted of acting as Ukrainian mercenaries by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “Everything depends on the complaint from London. I’m confident that the Russian side is ready to consider it.” Russia has also announced that it has blacklisted 49 British citizens, including BBC, Financial Times, Guardian defense officials and prominent journalists. burs-sea / gw
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