- It is located in the town of Severodonetsk, the scene of new and intense attacks by Kremlin forces.
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| A Ukrainian soldier walks past a shell in the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk in the Lugansk region. / EFE |
The regional governor of Lugansk (in Donbas, eastern Ukraine), Sergii Gaidai, estimated this Thursday at almost 800 people taking refuge in the Azot chemical plant, in the town of Severodonetsk, the recent scene of new and intense attacks by Russian forces.
"There are neighbors who were asked to leave the city, but they refused. There are also children, but there are not many," said Gaidai, who acknowledged that the Russian Army controls most of Severodonetsk.
The official detailed this latest information during an interview for the US network CNN, where he explained that the chemical plant is privately owned and that the owners have pointed out that there are hardly any chemical products left in the infrastructure.
Events are heading towards what happened in Mariupol, besieged for weeks by Russian troops and where the Ukrainian resistance was confined in the Azovstal steel plant. However, Gaidai marked distances and pointed out that Azot is not of interest to the Russian Army, as Azovstal was.
A new chemical tank destroyed
The Severodonetsk chemical plant was hit by an airstrike by Russian forces on Tuesday, as a result of which a nitric acid tank was damaged. This Thursday the Russian forces attacked the facilities again, this time damaging a methanol warehouse.
Ukrainian authorities said Wednesday that Russian forces have taken control of 70% of the city, one of the main epicenters of the conflict triggered on February 24 by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, Gaidai himself pointed out this Thursday that the city "is resisting" and said that "there are many possibilities for a quick release."
"The defenders are successfully carrying out local operations, taking prisoners, and have everything they need to expel the invaders," Gaidai said, according to the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN.
Finally, the regional governor addressed the leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, whom he has accused of spreading defamation regarding the alleged control of the city by the Chechens.
The militias of the self-proclaimed republic of Lugansk confirmed on Monday the start of the "assault" on Severodonetsk in collaboration with the Russian Army and announced that they were proceeding to entrench themselves on the outskirts of the city.
The town is the last stronghold of the self-proclaimed Ukrainian-controlled Lugansk Republic. If the offensive continues and the city is fully occupied by Russian troops, it would be a milestone for Russia.