Source: Yonhap News
A large-scale fire broke out at a chemical plant in Severodonetsk, eastern Ukraine, where fierce street fighting is taking place due to a massive Russian offensive.
According to Archyde.com, Luhansk Governor Serhi Haidai appeared on local TV and said the fire broke out after tons of oil spilled from the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk.
Governor Haidai said that although Russian forces poured fire on Severodonetsk and took almost the entire city, the Azot chemical plant remains under Ukrainian control.
Governor Haidai did not say whether the fire at the facility was extinguished.
Russia’s Sputnik news agency reported that 300-400 Ukrainian soldiers and as many as 500 civilians are staying at the Azot chemical plant.
Severodonetsk, a strategically important city in eastern Ukraine, has recently been under heavy attack by Russian forces and has paralyzed the city’s functions.
The fall of Severodonetsk would mean that virtually the entire Luhansk Oblast would be besieged by Russia, and Ukrainian forces are desperately defending it.
After failing to capture the Ukrainian capital of Kiiu, Russia has re-established its target of invasion to control the eastern part of the country and has strengthened its attack.