The governor of Lugansk, Serguei Gaidai, assured this Thursday (06.09.2022) that Ukraine could take full control of the city of Severodonetsk “in two or three days” if it already had long-range Western weapons. The city is the scene of fierce fighting between the Russian invaders and the Ukrainian defenders, who find themselves at a disadvantage in numbers and heavy weapons.
Denouncing the “primitive tactics” used by the Russians, Gaidai assured that “as soon as we have long-range artillery the duel will begin, the Soviet Union will lose to the West and our special forces could cleanse the city in two or three days.” The invading army has been trying for weeks to take control of this industrial city in the Luhansk region, crucial for the control of the entire Donbas mining area.
Vladimir Putin’s troops have managed to regain ground in recent days thanks to a systematic bombing campaign on civilian areas, and now control “a large part” of the city, acknowledged Gaidai, who described the situation as “very dynamic”. Russian artillery strikes are “unsuccessfully seeking weaknesses in Severodonetsk’s defense,” Gaidai said.
impossible to evacuate
Through Telegram, the governor also denounced that “the enemy has fired on the territory of the Azot ammonia production plant”, where “two stores in different parts of the chemical plant have suffered damage”. Gaidai noted that the bomb shelter has not been affected. “There are no emissions of chemical products into the environment,” he assured, noting that “there are no victims.”
The authority also stressed that “the evacuation of Severodonetsk remains impossible”, and guaranteed that “the hospital has everything necessary to treat the wounded”. Some 10,000 civilians remain in Severodonetsk, Ukrainian authorities estimate. “The Russians do not control the road connecting Lisichansk and Bakhmut, but they are constantly attacking it. Do not use this road,” Gaidai said.
Meanwhile, the pro-Russian forces of the self-proclaimed “republic” of Donetsk assured that the battle for Sloviansk has begun, which together with Kramatorsk are the main objective of the invading army in Donbas. The General Staff of Ukraine reported in its morning report that the Russian forces “are focused on preparations to continue their offensive in the direction of Sloviansk and Barvinkove”, west of the first city and belonging to the Kharkov region.
DZC (AFP, Europa Pres, EFE)
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Volunteers help the war-wounded in Ukraine
the lost peace
Memory of better times, when peace reigned. The small Ukrainian town of Bakhmut was never prepared for long queues of aid vehicles. Now, they bring wounded from the combat front. The war unleashed by the Russian invasion marks the bitter reality of these days.
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Volunteers help the war-wounded in Ukraine
near the front
Volunteer medical staff of the “First Pirogov Mobile Hospital” transports a wounded Ukrainian soldier, who was evacuated from the Popasna front to Bakhmut. The soldier suffered spinal injuries caused by shrapnel. The doctors indicated that his life was not in danger, but he could be paralyzed.
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Volunteers help the war-wounded in Ukraine
young volunteers
Bohdan Marchuk, who performs care services as a volunteer, is 23 years old. He belongs to the “Pirogov Mobile Hospital” team. In the photo, he waits in the ambulance to be called for another emergency case. Some of these used vehicles come from Germany and Poland, and are now used near the front, in the Donetsk region.
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Volunteers help the war-wounded in Ukraine
shared suffering
Wounded volunteer fighters Maksim and Andrei sit on a bench waiting to be treated at a hospital in Bakhmut. The hospital’s main task is to “stabilize” patients until they can be transferred to hospitals further afield in the western part of Ukraine.
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Volunteers help the war-wounded in Ukraine
contact with family
Alessandro, another member of this group of Ukrainian soldiers, tries to connect through a video call with his granddaughter, who managed to escape to Poland. “My family is safe there while we go through this,” he says, patiently waiting for communication.
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Volunteers help the war-wounded in Ukraine
The decision to help
Aleksandra Pohranychna, 20, is the only one in her military unit with a paramedical education. In her photo, she waits for the soldiers to take her to the front lines to provide first aid or to bring the wounded to her. The young she comes from Lviv. “I decided to get involved and help,” she says. Her father gave him money to buy her personal protective equipment.
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Volunteers help the war-wounded in Ukraine
A strong message
On her arm, Aleksandra Pohranychna has the Ukrainian coat of arms tattooed and a quote from the Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrainka. The message: “I have in my heart something that will never die”
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Volunteers help the war-wounded in Ukraine
Help is not always on time
In this ambulance lies the body of a Ukrainian soldier. Help does not arrive in time for many injured. After more than eight weeks of war, there are tens of thousands of victims, not only on the Ukrainian side, but also on the Russian side. And there is still no end in sight to the fighting.
Author: Claudia Dehn
