Ukraine says it remains in control of Sievierodonetsk plant sheltering hundreds

KYIV, (Reuters) - Ukraine remains in control of the Azot chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk where hundreds of civilians are sheltering amid bitter fighting, the region’s governor said on Saturday, after a Russiabacked separatist claimed 300 to 400 Ukrainian fighters were also trapped there.

Earlier, the governor, Serhiy Gaidai, said Russian shelling of the plant in Luhansk province had ignited a big fire after a leak of tonnes of oil.

In neighboring Donetsk province, Russian media reported that a huge cloud of smoke could be seen after an explosion in the city of Avdiivka, which houses another chemical plant.

Weeks of fighting for Sievierodonetsk, a small city in Luhansk that has become the focus of Russia’s advance in eastern Ukraine, has pulverized sections of the town and has been some of the bloodiest since Moscow began its invasion on Feb. 24.

“The information about the blockade of the Azot plant is a lie,” Gaidai said on the Telegram messaging app. “Our forces are holding an industrial zone of Sievierodonetsk and are destroying the Russian army in the town.”

Ukraine has said some 800 people were hiding in several bomb shelters underneath the Azot plant, including about 200 employees and 600 residents of Sievierodonetsk.

Rodion Miroshnik, a Russian-backed representative of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, said late on Saturday that some civilians had started to leave and that Ukrainian forces may be holding several hundred civilians “hostage”.

Earlier, he said 300 to 400 Ukrainian fighters were blockaded on the grounds of the plant along with civilians.

Gaidai said earlier that Russian forces controlled most of the city, although Ukraine controlled the Azot plant.