Ukrainian civilians and fighters at the Nitrogen chemical plant in Severodonetsk are resisting the Russian bombardment with determination, declining to surrender or lay down arms for now.
Regional governor Serhiy Gaidai said many evacuation offers have been extended to civilians, but they have chosen to stay. This report comes from UNIAN, the national news agency in Ukraine.
While Moscow accuses Ukrainian forces of using civilians as shields, Kyiv condemned the renewed heavy bombardments that have made civilian and military withdrawals nearly impossible.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced control over Severodonetsk two weeks ago, yet the industrial site remains far from secure until Nitrogen falls under Russian control.
resist trouble
The number of people staying at the facility is estimated at 568 civilians, including 38 children. They are factory workers, their families, and local residents who refuse to leave under any circumstances.
Officials warn that leaving is not impossible physically, but the risk is extremely high due to ongoing shooting and shelling. Exit would carry a near certain danger of death for those who attempt it.
Officials deny claims of a comparison to Azovstal, noting that Severodonetsk is not a single large industrial area connected by tunnels, but several underground bunkers separated from one another.
Local authorities say these civilians have enough food for now, though supplies have not been fully replenished in the last two weeks.
President Vladimir Putin has stated he does not intend to turn cities in Donbas into a site for a Stalingrad-like siege, while Kyiv accuses Moscow of turning Severodonetsk and its surroundings into a second Mariupol due to intensified bombing.
Pro-Russian voices accuse the Ukrainian Army of placing mortars at factory entrances to hinder civilian departures toward areas under Russian control.
Russian soldiers and pro-Russian separatists launched a security operation aimed at restoring order, but they have not yet managed to seal the region from all sides.
Russian advances
After days with little news from Severodonetsk, Russian sources say the offensive is progressing. Militia forces aligned with Moscow reportedly took Metiolkine, a town near Severodonetsk.
The enemy reportedly abandoned some positions in Lisichansk, the last Ukrainian stronghold in Lugansk province.
Russian troops continue to employ scorched earth tactics in the eastern part of the country, including the destruction of a tank repair factory in Kharkiv and two Grad rocket launchers in Donetsk, as part of broader pressure on Ukrainian forces.
Gaidai responded that claims of Russian control over Severodonetsk are false. He noted that Russian aviation and artillery have not ceased to strike the strategic highway linking Lisichansk to other fronts, including the route toward Bakhmut and the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk fortified area, which remains under Ukrainian control.
Ukrainian authorities also report that Russian Orlan-10 drones are being used to adjust artillery fire as part of the ongoing bombardment.
Ukraine refuses to surrender the south
During a visit to front lines in Mykolaiv and Odesa, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy affirmed that the south will not be ceded and that Ukrainian forces will reclaim lost ground and secure the Black Sea coastal area.
He noted that Russia has far fewer missiles than it would need to sustain a prolonged conflict, while expressing concern about the safety of civilians and the need for international mediation to guarantee safe sea passage for Ukrainian ports.
Ukraine will do everything possible to counter the food crisis triggered by the war, with international aid and trade continuing to be critical for Asia, Africa, and Europe.
In southern Donbas and across the Crimean peninsula, Ukrainian troops have made notable advances, moving along the front lines between Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Mayor Ivan Fedorov of Melitopol said Ukrainian forces had progressed more than 10 kilometers toward the city, signaling renewed momentum on the ground.
He added that Ukrainian troops are near the borders of Kherson and expressed confidence that the city will be stabilized in the coming weeks.
Coup against the Ukrainian command
Russian officials reported striking a Ukrainian command center in the Dnipro region with Kalibr cruise missiles, resulting in significant Ukrainian losses among officers and equipment.
Russian sources described a command meeting attended by generals and senior officers, including airborne units and other troops operating in the southern zones of Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv.
Another Kalibr strike reportedly destroyed a dozen artillery pieces at a factory in Mykolaiv, including a 155-millimeter howitzer and twenty armored vehicles recently supplied to Kyiv by its Western allies.
Russian aviation is said to have destroyed a Ukrainian convoy and other military assets at a train station in Dnipro, underscoring the ongoing air and ground pressure on Ukrainian forces.