All 3 bridges connecting the embattled town of Severodonetsk with its dual town Lysychansk to the west, at the moment are impassable for automobiles, significantly proscribing evacuation choices for the ones looking to flee the town and provide routes in, in keeping with Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk area army management.
“The bridges made it imaginable to hold a minimum of some humanitarian shipment, one thing associated with reserves. It’s recently unimaginable to make use of the bridges,” Hayday mentioned.
A 2nd of 3 bridges was once destroyed over the weekend. Hayday’s place of business defined that the 3rd bridge, which has come underneath sustained shelling, is now impassable for automobiles.
The destruction of the bridges provides the Russian army some other merit since provide traces are interrupted, Hayday mentioned. Entering into guns and reserves is now “tricky, however no longer unimaginable,” he mentioned.
Hayday mentioned go back and forth between Severodonetsk and Lysychansk was once nonetheless imaginable, however didn’t cross into element for safety causes.
“Lysychansk is already being shelled very powerfully, with a heavy caliber [weapons], they’re destroying the whole thing: each humanitarian headquarters and hospitals. However from Lysychansk there may be nonetheless a chance to evacuate folks and pick out up humanitarian items on a daily basis,” he mentioned.
Hayday additionally mentioned of Severodonetsk that Russian forces “actually regulate many of the town,” estimating about 70% to 80%.
However he denied claims by means of the self-declared Luhansk Folks Republic (LPR) that Severodonetsk has fallen, announcing “this isn’t true.”
“A part of the town remains to be managed by means of Ukrainian defenders. If they’d entire regulate of the town, Russian infantrymen should not have died there,” Hayday mentioned.
Hayday additionally mentioned that even supposing Ukrainian forces gained again the town, it could be unimaginable to “repair the infrastructure totally sooner than the wintry weather. The one imaginable factor is to place radiators that can stay the temperature heat within the tents. And sure, the whole thing is damaged. With water, with electrical energy — there shall be large issues of the whole thing.”
