It is in this city that the “fate” of the Donbass region is played out, according to Volodymyr Zelensky. In Severodonetsk, in the east of the country, Ukrainian soldiers are fighting one of the “most difficult battles” since the start of the war to resist Russian forces, the Ukrainian president explained in a video released Wednesday evening. However, according to the governor of the Lugansk region, Serguiï Gaïdaï, the Russians now control a large part of this strategic city. “There are bombardments everywhere, 24 hours a day” and Russia is concentrating all its forces in the region, he stressed.
For Russia, getting its hands on Severodonetsk would be decisive in order to conquer the entire vast coalfield of Donbass, already partly held by pro-Russian separatists since 2014. “In many respects, the fate of our Donbass decides there,” said Volodymyr Zelensky. Last week, Severodonetsk seemed on the verge of falling into the hands of the Russian army, but the Ukrainian troops counter-attacked and managed to hold their ground, despite their numerical inferiority. However, Russian forces are regaining ground.
The neighboring town of Lysytchansk is entirely controlled by the Ukrainian army but is under “powerful and chaotic” bombardment, said Serguiï Gaïdaï, accusing the Russian forces of “deliberately” targeting hospitals and centers for the distribution of humanitarian aid. Several thousand people still live in Severodonetsk and Lyssytchansk, mostly elderly people, people taking care of them or those who cannot afford to go elsewhere.
The remains of journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, killed in Ukraine, arrived around 3 a.m. this Thursday in France and were welcomed by members of his family, relatives and the Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak. Aged 32, Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff had been working for BFMTV for six years and was on his second assignment in Ukraine, as an image reporter (JRI), when he was killed on May 30 by a shrapnel. A moment of contemplation took place on the tarmac of Le Bourget airport, in front of his coffin draped in black. A tribute will be paid to him on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Place de la République in Paris, at the call of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). His family, friends and colleagues will be present.
The United States has announced the sending of four Himars precision artillery systems (multiple rocket launchers mounted on light armor) to Ukraine but wants to ensure that Ukrainian soldiers have mastered them well before their deployment. send more, US Chief of Staff General Mark Milley said on Wednesday. The Himars is a “sophisticated” system, and “you have to certify these boys, make sure they know how to use these systems correctly”, said the most senior American officer, on the plane bringing him back to Washington after a tour in Europe. The United Kingdom immediately announced the dispatch of a similar rocket launcher system, known as MLRS, which is mounted on a heavy tracked armored vehicle.
- Turkey calls for lifting sanctions on Russian agricultural exports
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, talks in Ankara on Wednesday say Turkey has deemed Moscow’s request to lift sanctions on Russian agricultural exports to be “legitimate”. to facilitate Ukrainian exports. The blockage is indeed causing prices to soar and raising the threat of famine in certain countries in Africa and the Middle East.
“We are ready to guarantee the safety of ships leaving Ukrainian ports (…) in cooperation with our Turkish colleagues”, underlined Sergueï Lavrov, who arrived Tuesday evening in Ankara to discuss the establishment of secure corridors in order to allow Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea. “The next few weeks will be crucial for unblocking the situation. We expect clear and concrete signals from Russia, because blocking wheat exports means holding hostage and condemning to death millions of children, women and men”, said Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.
- Tens of thousands of civilian victims since the start of the conflict
For the moment, there is no overall assessment of the civilian victims of the conflict. For the city of Mariupol (south-east), which fell in May after a terrible siege, the Ukrainian authorities evoke nearly 20,000 dead. Western military sources mention 12,000 to 15,000 Russian soldiers killed, while kyiv claims to have killed more than 30,000.
Ukrainian forces are losing between 60 and 100 soldiers every day in combat, President Volodymyr Zelensky told US media Newsmax last week, without providing a figure on the total number of losses. No independent statistics are available.