The battle for Sievierodonetsk, an industrial city nestled in the western part of the Luhansk region, is heating up. Artillery barrages from three sides cut off water and electricity, pushed residents into underground shelters and caused many casualties. Russian forces could launch a direct assault on the city in the coming days, even before they succeed in cutting Ukrainian supply lines.
However, kyiv expects the Russians to use the siege tactic already employed against the city of Mariupol, a way to avoid exposing themselves to deadly urban fighting, should they attempt to capture the city entirely. Sievierodonetsk, 100,000 inhabitants before the war, is one of the last major cities under its control in a region already mainly dominated by Russia.
→ REPORT. Ukraine: in Dnipro, the exiles of Mariupol try to catch their breath
The Russian army has committed a large part of its manpower – more than 10,000 soldiers –, its logistics and its firepower (artillery, aviation, S-400 surface-to-air missiles) to this point of the front in an attempt to surround Ukrainian troops. It bombs the city, as well as the Azot factory where civilians have taken refuge, in a situation reminiscent of the siege of Mariupol. About 15,000 people are still in Sievierodonetsk as well as in the surrounding villages, often elderly people who do not wish to leave and live in the shelter of cellars. “The city is simply being destroyed, assured, Wednesday, May 25, the governor of the region, Serhi Haïdaï. Next week will be decisive. »
Significant Ukrainian losses
«Recent Russian gains in Donbass suggest that Ukrainian forces have suffered significant losses,” analyzes Michael Kofman, researcher at the CNA, a research and analysis institute based in Arlington (Virginia). President Volodymyr Zelensky even recently mentioned a range of 50 to 100 military casualties per day, a high number.
Ukrainian forces could send reinforcements or operate a tactical withdrawal, as they did, further west, in the town of Lyman. “The overall military balance in this war still tilts in favor of Ukraine, given the availability of manpower and access to significant Western military support, believes Michael Kofman. The fight in the Donbass is less important for Ukraine than for Russia. If necessary, kyiv can give ground to avoid heavy losses, hoping to regain it later. »
Moscow makes it easier to issue Russian passports
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also condemned the new Russian presidential decree, published on Wednesday May 25, creating a “simplified procedure” for obtaining Russian passports for Ukrainians living in the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhia, occupied by Moscow. “This simplified system will make it clear to everyone that Russia is not here for long, but forever,” said Kyrylo Stremoussov, a Kherson region official appointed by the Kremlin.
The presidential decree also applies to residents of the separatist territories of Luhansk and Donetsk, whose respective armies are involved in the fighting against Ukraine. Several hundred thousand inhabitants of these separatist territories have already received Russian passports.