Ukraine said on Monday (June 20) that it has lost control of a town near to the eastern industrial city of Sievierodonetsk, which has been at the centre of weeks of intense battle with Russian forces who have invaded Ukraine.
“We are no longer in charge of Metyolkine, which is a great shame. Additionally, the adversary continues to strengthen its stockpiles, “the governor of the Luhansk area, Sergiy Gaiday, stated in a statement that was published on social media.
The hamlet, which had a population of around one thousand people before to the conflict, was recently taken by Russia near Sievierodonetsk, where the Russian army has been faced with strong opposition by the Ukrainians.
After being driven out of regions surrounding the capital at the beginning of their invasion in February, Russian soldiers have been able to make sluggish but steady advancements in the eastern Donbas region. This is the region where they have concentrated their military operations.
According to Gaiday, Russian soldiers are “constantly” shelling the Azot chemical facility in Sievierodonetsk, which is where it is believed hundreds of people are taking refuge.
During this time, the director of the municipal government, Oleksandr Stryuk, said on Ukrainian television on Monday that the majority of the city’s residential districts are under the authority of the army of Moscow.
“Even if we consider the whole city, our military personnel maintain control over more than one third of it. The remainder is under Russian authority “he stated.
“There are street fights around the clock,” he continued, noting that Ukrainian soldiers were frequently being bombarded.
According to Stryuk, “the adversary is putting more and more troops into the assault, with the goal of storming the city and driving away our forces.”
After the destruction of the final bridge that crossed the river and connected Sievierodonetsk to Lysychansk many days ago, it has not been feasible to evacuate the city of Sievierodonetsk.