SThe war of aggression unleashed by Russia has been raging in Ukraine for 100 days this Friday. At the same time, Ukrainian troops continue to defend themselves against the loss of the city of Severodonetsk in the east, where Russian troops are advancing with their superior firepower. The city should not be abandoned if possible, said Deputy Chief of Staff Oleksiy Hromov on Thursday in Kyiv.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made several appearances with a kind of balance sheet of the war since February 24. Up to 100 Ukrainian soldiers are killed every day in the fighting in the east, he said in a video link at a security conference in the Slovakian capital Bratislava. “And a few hundred people – 450, 500 people – are injured every day.” A fifth of Ukraine’s territory is currently occupied by Russia, he said in a switchboard in the Luxembourg parliament. He thanked foreign partners for arms deliveries.
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin had the neighboring country attacked in order to stop its NATO ambitions. Russian war propaganda claims that Ukraine is run by neo-Nazis and that Russian speakers are oppressed there. The complete conquest of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, the so-called Donbass, is repeatedly mentioned as a goal. So far this has not been successful.
On the 100th day of the war, the EU wants to formally adopt its sixth package of sanctions against Russia with an oil embargo.
Battle for the eastern city of Severodonetsk
Despite fierce Russian attacks, the Ukrainian army does not want to admit defeat in the administrative center of Severodonetsk. “The situation is difficult, but it’s better than yesterday. And it’s under control,” said Deputy Chief of Staff Hromow on Thursday. Ukrainian authorities had previously announced that the city was largely under the control of Russian troops.
There are very bloody street fights in the city, Hromow said. Severodonetsk is considered the last Ukrainian stronghold in the Luhansk region. According to their own statements, pro-Russian troops and the Russian military are about to take power there. However, the Ukrainian head of administration in Luhansk, Serhiy Hajdaj, also reported on successful commando actions by the defenders in the city. Presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych even said that the Ukrainian army had lured the Russians into a trap in Severodonetsk. This information could not be verified.
According to reports from both sides, civilians have been hiding in bunkers under the chemical plant Asot (nitrogen) in the city, Hajdaj spoke of around 800 people. “These are local people who have been asked to leave town but have refused. There are also children there, but not very many,” he told US broadcaster CNN. In the port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian soldiers and civilians held out for weeks in bunkers under the Azowstal steelworks.
The balance sheet for the 100th day of the war
Russian troops marched into 3,620 towns in Ukraine, 1,017 of which were liberated, Zelensky said. “Another 2,603 will still be freed.” Twelve million Ukrainians are fleeing the country; five million abroad. Russia has lost over 30,000 soldiers, Zelenskyy claimed. Western experts also suspect heavy Russian losses, but consider the Kiev figures to be too high.