The Russian invasion Russia is said to be moving reserves to the border

 

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Published: Today 04.00 

 

Updated: Less than 1 hour ago 

 

 

 

Ukrainian soldiers seek refuge after an attack on a residential area in Kramatorsk, Donetsk. Photo: Nariman El-Mofty / AP / TT 

 

NEWS

 

The city of Sevierodonetsk, which is occupied by Russian forces, is on the brink of a "humanitarian catastrophe", according to Governor Serhi Hajdaj. In southern Ukraine, residents are urged to flee to avoid being used as human shields. 

 

At the same time, Russia is said to be moving reserve forces to the border. 

 

Water and electricity are lacking. Drains do not work. The body remains and breaks down in the summer-warm residential buildings. 

 

This is how Serhiy Hajdaj, governor of the Luhansk region where Sievjerodonetsk is located, describes the situation. 

 

"The Russians have totally destroyed all vital infrastructure and they are unable to repair anything," he wrote on social media. 

 

"Has put in his entire arsenal" 

 

The Russian forces captured Sevierodonetsk a couple of weeks ago in connection with the withdrawal of the Ukrainians. 

 

According to Hajdaj, about 8,000 of the city's residents still remain. Before Russia's major invasion of Ukraine in February, 100,000 people lived there. 

 

 Since Ukraine's retreat from Sevierodonetsk and the neighboring city of Lysytjansk, Russia controls most of Luhansk. But according to Serhiy Hajdaj, the Ukrainian forces still occupy a small part of the region. 

 

Luhansk has not yet been fully captured, although the Russians have deployed their entire arsenal to achieve that goal, the governor said in an interview with the AP. 

 

Hajdaj describes the Russian warfare as brutal. 

 

Fierce fighting is going on in several villages at the region's border. The Russians rely on tanks and artillery to advance and destroy everything, he says. 

 

Warns of human shields 

 

Every building where there could be Ukrainian defenders is attacked, according to Hajdaj. 

 

- They do not allow themselves to be hindered by the fact that there are still civilians left. 

 

Ukrainian authorities said on Friday that many civilians had been killed and injured in Russian attacks in the past 24 hours. 

 

Six people were killed and 21 were injured in attacks on two cities in the Donetsk region - which together with Luhansk make up the Donbass. Another four people were killed and another nine were injured in shelling of the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine. 

 

Residents of the Russian-occupied cities of Kherson and Zaporizhia in the southern part of the country should flee, warns Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. 

 

This is so that they can not be used as human shields if or when a Ukrainian counter-offensive takes place. 

 

However, it is difficult to know whether it is possible for the inhabitants to escape, as nearby areas are still exposed to intense bombardment. 

 

Moves reserve forces 

 

Russia is said to be moving reserve forces through the country and placing them near Ukraine for future offensives, according to the UK Department of Defense. 

 

A large part of the infantry forces must have armored vehicles, so-called MT-LB, which have been in custody for a long time, as transport. 

 

MT-LB is an armored bandwagon designed in the 50's. Although used by both sides in the war, Russia has long considered it inappropriate to transport infantry to the front line. The protection against attacks is limited compared to modern armored vehicles and it is only equipped with machine guns, the Ministry of Defense writes on Twitter. 

 

The use of inferior equipment now, compared to the beginning of the invasion, reportedly contradicts President Vladimir Putin's claim on July 7, when he said that Russia's war in Ukraine "has not started in earnest yet".

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Zelensky: The West's heavy weapons have taken effect

Published: Less than 2 hours ago 

NEWS 

Ukraine has had military success in recent times thanks to the heavy weapons it has received from the Western world, according to Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky.

- Our defenders carry out painful attacks, he says in a televised speech. 

After Russia took the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, Ukraine has now been able to push back Russian forces thanks to weapons from the West, several British media report( brittiska medier). 

Despite heavy shelling along the Donetsk front line, no side has made much progress, according to the UK ministry.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj says that weapons from the West have had an effect in the war. Photo: AP 

- The heavy weapons that Ukraine has received from the Western world are finally starting to take effect, says Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyj in a televised speech. 

Ukrainian military has advanced in two directions - in Kherson and in Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine. There they state that they have met some of the Russians' logistics warehouses. 

- The Western artillery that we received from our partners works powerfully. Its precision is really at the level we need, says Zelenskyj.

Ukrainian soldier with the Swedish weapon system Carl Gustaf M4 during an exercise earlier this spring. Photo: Andrew Marienko / AP 

"Reduced Russia's potential" 

The Ukrainian attacks are said to have inflicted "a lot of pain" and are said to have "significantly reduced the offensive potential of the Russian army," he said. 

The Ministry of Ukraine has also published a video of what they believe represents the successful attacks on Russian warehouses in western Ukraine. 

According to experts, Western equipment has been absolutely crucial, but if the West wants to avoid a "war of attrition" that Ukraine could lose, they must send more weapons.