Fierce battles are taking place in eastern Ukraine for control of the Donbass region, where Russian forces threaten the city of Severodonetsk, which is under constant bombardment, after Moscow declared control of the strategic town of Lyman.
More than three months after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf “Schulz” asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call yesterday (Saturday) to enter into “serious direct negotiations” with his Ukrainian counterpart. Volodymyr Zelensky, the release of 2,500 Ukrainian fighters who were holed up in the Azovstal industrial complex in Mariupol (southeast) and surrendered to Russian forces, AFP reported.
For his part, Putin stressed – according to the Kremlin – that Russia remains “open to resuming dialogue” with Kyiv to settle the armed conflict, while peace negotiations with Ukraine have been suspended since March.
On the military front, the Russian forces are tightening the cordon on the Donbass region, especially around Severodonetsk, where “the enemy launched offensive operations,” according to a report issued today (Sunday), by the Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Army.
Yesterday evening, the governor of Lugansk region, Sergey Gaidai, announced that “Russia is using all its means to control Severodonetsk or prevent any contact between the region and Ukraine.”
He admitted that “the next week will be very difficult,” but he saw that the Russian forces “will not be able to achieve everything they plan in the near future.”
For his part, the mayor of Severodonetsk, Oleksandr Stryuk, confirmed that “the Russians have come up with many means to storm the city, but they cannot do that so far,” adding: “We believe that the city will resist.”
He pointed to the deterioration of the health situation in the city, which had a population of one hundred thousand people before the war.
On Saturday evening, he wrote on Telegram that the “continuous bombing” makes it difficult to deliver supplies to the city, especially drinking water, while the electricity has been cut off for more than two weeks, adding that the “Humanitarian Aid Center” has suspended its activity.
Sergei Gaidai had previously reported that “the Russian army is simply destroying the city,” noting that he entered the city’s outskirts, where he suffered “heavy losses”, while Ukrainian forces continue their attempts to drive the Russians out of a hotel.
This came in response to an official in the police of the pro-Russian separatist “Republic of Lugansk”, who announced in statements carried by the Russian news agency “Ria Novosti”, on Friday, that “the city of Severodonetsk is currently besieged” and the Ukrainian forces are surrounded in it.
Also, the leader of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced yesterday evening on “Telegram” that “Severodonetsk is under our complete control … the city has been liberated.”
To the west, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed yesterday the control of the town of Lyman, which is a crossing to the major cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in the Donbass, after pro-Moscow separatists announced on Friday the “full control” of Lyman with the “support” of Russian forces.
Zelensky had admitted (Friday), that “the situation in this area of Donbass is very difficult” in light of the artillery and missile bombardment focused on it, but added: “If the occupiers think that Lyman and Severodonetsk will become theirs, they are mistaken. Donbass will be Ukrainian.”
After the failure of its attacks on Kyiv and Kharkiv (northeast) at the beginning of the war, the Russian forces focused their attack on eastern Ukraine with the declared aim of controlling the Donbass basin, rich in mines and partially controlled since 2014 by the Moscow-backed separatists.
At a time when Ukraine is currently unable to export its grain due to the blockade imposed on its ports, Putin confirmed during his call with Macron and Scholz his country’s readiness to help export grain from Ukraine “without restrictions”.
“Russia is ready to help find solutions for the unrestricted export of grain, including Ukrainian grain, coming from the ports on the Black Sea,” the Kremlin said in a statement issued at the conclusion of the call.
Putin said the difficulties related to food supplies were caused by “erratic economic and financial policy on the part of Western countries, as well as sanctions against Russia.”
In Mariupol, which was subjected to Russian bombardment for three months and was completely destroyed before it fell last week, the Russian news agency “TASS” announced yesterday, quoting the pro-Russian Port Administration Authority, the entry of the first cargo ship to the port of the city in southeastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Navy commented on Facebook, describing the announcement as “manipulation” because Russian ship groups “continue to prevent civilian navigation in the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, ignoring international navigation laws.”
During the phone call, Putin also stressed “the danger of continuing to flood Ukraine with Western weapons,” warning of “the greater risks of destabilizing the situation and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis,” according to the Kremlin.