Battle for the Donbas: Russia beats back Ukrainian counter-attacks in Severodonetsk with heavy artillery - as Ukraine armed forces chief admits they are facing 'catastrophic' lack of munitions
- Momentum swung back in favour of Russia last night as Putin's forces retook most of the city Severodonetsk
- Ukrainian forces are still managing to hold their positions on the outskirts of the city, defence officials said
- But Putin's forces are seizing ground metre-by-metre, advancing slowly behind heavy artillery bombardment
- Ukraine's armed forces are running low on artillery ammo and implored West to send more heavy weapons
Momentum in the battle for the Donbas swung back in favour of Russia last night after Putin's forces managed to retake most of Severodonetsk in the Luhansk region.
Ukrainian forces are still managing to hold their positions on the outskirts of the city, officials said, but are subject to almost round-the-clock bombardments as Russian troops employ a WWI-style approach of seizing ground metre-by-metre behind heavy artillery strikes.
The industrial hub, along with its smaller twin Lysychansk on the opposite bank of the Siversky Donets river, represents the last Ukrainian-controlled part of Luhansk province, which Russia is determined to seize as one of its principal war objectives.
As such, the two urban centres have endured bitter fighting in recent weeks as Ukraine's armed forces attempt to hold off an all-out Russian offensive.
Ukraine's Security Council Secretary Oleksy Danilov said on Thursday the situation in Severodonetsk was 'extremely complicated' and Russian forces were focusing all of their might in the area.
'[The Russian army] don't spare their people, they're just sending men like cannon fodder... they are shelling our military day and night,' Danilov said, while Ukrainian Defence Ministry spokesperson Oleksandr Motuzyanyk declared: 'Russia's strategic goal is the complete destruction of Ukraine... They want to destroy Ukrainian statehood and install a government it can control here.'
Russia shelled more than 20 towns in Donetsk and Luhansk on Thursday, destroying or damaging 49 homes, several manufacturing plants, farm buildings and a rail station. Two civilians were killed, according to officials.
Meanwhile, commander of Ukraine's Svoboda National Guard Battalion Petro Kusyk said his men were drawing the Russians into street fighting in Severodonetsk to neutralise their artillery advantage.
'Yesterday was successful for us - we launched a counteroffensive and in some areas we managed to push them back one or two blocks. In others they pushed us back, but just by a building or two,' he said in a televised interview.
But Kusyk admitted his forces were suffering from a 'catastrophic' lack of counter-battery artillery to fire back at Russia's guns, and said that getting such weapons would transform the battlefield.
Ukraine's deputy head of military intelligence Vadym Skibitsky echoed Kusyk's statement and warned that Ukrainian's armed forces are running low on munitions for the artillery pieces they already have.
He told the Guardian that Western allies must deliver more artillery and long-range missiles to keep Ukraine in the fight.
'Everything now depends on what [the West] gives us... Ukraine has one artillery piece to 10 to 15 Russian artillery pieces - we have almost used up all of our ammunition and are now using 155-calibre Nato standard shells.'
