Russia in bid to cut supply lines

THE Russian military has expanded its control in eastern Ukraine in a bid to cut supply lines and encircle frontline Ukrainian forces.

The Ministry of Defence said that Ukrainian forces had withdrawn from near the city of Lysychansk, to avoid being encircled as Russia sent in reinforcements.

Ukraine’s General Staff said Russian forces took control of the villages of Loskutivka and Rai-Oleksandrivka, and were trying to capture Syrotyne outside Sievierodonetsk.

Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said: “The enemy is burning everything out in a bid to encircle the Ukrainian group of forces.

“The Russians are advancing without trying to spare the ammunition or troops, and they aren’t running out of either. They have an edge in heavy artillery and the number of troops.”

For weeks, Russian forces have pummelled Sievierodonetsk, the administrative centre of the Luhansk region. Ukrainian forces remain holed up at the Azot chemical plant on the city’s edge, where about 500 civilians are also sheltering.

Mr Haidai said the Ukrainian soldiers were using the plant’s sprawling underground structures but noted that “the shelling has intensified and even concrete shelters can’t withstand the bombardment”.

The Russians were also pressing their offensive on Lysychansk, which is located on a steep river bank facing Sievierodonetsk.

The MoD noted in its intelligence assessment yesterday that Russian forces have probably advanced more than three miles towards the southern approaches of Lysychansk since Sunday.

“Some Ukrainian units have withdrawn, probably to avoid being encircled,” the statement said. “Russia’s improved performance in this sector is likely a result of recent unit reinforcement and heavy concentration of fire.”

A damaged statue of Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko standing amid shelled buildings in Borodianka, near Kyiv.