the separatists pro-Russian of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Lugansk accused the Ukrainian troops on Wednesday of preventing the evacuation of civilians from the Azot Chemical Plant, in the city of Severodonetsk, in which some 500 civilians are refugees and which was scheduled for this morning.
According to Alexander Nikishinhead of the garrison service of the 2nd Army Corps of the Luhansk People’s Militia, Russian and pro-Russian troops opened the humanitarian corridor at 0500 GMT as planned, but at 0520 GMT the mortar Fire, presumably from the Ukrainian side. According to this separatist, the mortar fire was directed towards the place where the soldiers were stationed. Russian and pro-Russian soldiers, near the evacuation point in the vicinity of a chemical plant hangar.
In addition, Russian military pressure continues in the Kharkov region, where, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, kyiv is suffering “painful losses.” In a speech posted on social media by him, Vladimir Zelensky admitted that the Ukrainian forces suffer heavy casualties in Severodonetsk and the region of Kharkiv. At the same time, he affirmed that it is “vital” to continue the resistance in the east of the country, where it is decided “who will dominate (on the ground) in the coming weeks.”
“No one knew there would be an evacuation”
According to Nikishin, only one 74-year-old man left the Azot plant around 0400 GMT, but apparently not because he was informed of the evacuation. He indicated that only in one of the anti-aircraft shelters in the territory of the plant there are about 70 civilians, of which “No one knew that a humanitarian corridor would be created today.” Nikishin also pointed out, according to the official RIA Nóvosti agency, that evacuation is impossible under these conditions. “The work of the (humanitarian) corridor has been stopped for today,” he specified, although “negotiations with the Ukrainian side will continue.”
The representative of the self-proclaimed Luhansk Republic in Russia, Rodion Miroshnik, He previously said on his Telegram account that there may be between 1,000 and 1,200 civilians inside Azot, in addition to between 1,500 and 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers and mercenaries. While the mayor of Severodonetsk, Oleksandr Stryuk, He has estimated the number of citizens in the factory at between 540 and 560, including 40 children.
Xi and Putin address the situation
Meanwhile, the presidents of China and Russia, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, respectively, addressed the situation in Ukraine on Wednesday and highlighted the good relationship between the parties, which are at a “high and unprecedented” level. The Kremlin has indicated in a statement that the leaders have stressed that the bilateral relations are “in constant development” and have reaffirmed their desire to “deepen their alliance and cooperate in all areas in a strategic“.
Thus, Moscow has assured that both have agreed to expand cooperation “in energy, financial and industrial matters”, among others, “taking into account the situation of the economy at a global level, which has become more complicated as a result of the policy of sanctions imposed from the West”. On the other hand, the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Lloyd Austinurged Western countries on Wednesday to maintain their commitment to Ukraine by sending the weapons that this country vehemently demands to resist the Russian invasion.
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“We have to intensify our common commitment to Ukraine’s self-defense and we have to do even more to ensure that Ukraine can defend itself, its citizens and its territory,” Austin told a meeting in Brussels of fifty countries that support Ukraine.
The UN investigates allegations of adoptions
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said Wednesday that his team is investigating allegations that Ukrainian children are being sent to Russia for adoption amid the conflict. Bachelet told the 50th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva that they are “investigating allegations of children forcibly deported from Ukraine to the Russian Federation.” According to accusations, some children were “kidnapped from orphanages and then given up for adoption in Russia,” he said.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.