Russia blows up bridge to cut off Ukraine’s access to Sievierodonetsk

KIEV – Kiev stated that Moscow had strengthened its forces around Sievierodonetsk and attempted to cut off access Ukraine to the industrial city, Saturday (4/6/2022). Sievierodonetsk became the focus of attack Russia to seize the eastern Donbas territory.

Serhiy Gaidai, governor of Luhansk province, said Russian troops blew up a bridge across the Siverskyi Donets river to prevent Ukraine from bringing in military reinforcements and sending aid to civilians in Sievierodonetsk.

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“The Russian army, as we understand it, is putting all its efforts, all its reserves in that (Sievierodonetsk) direction,” Gaidai said in a live TV broadcast on Saturday. “Russia blew up the bridge, so we couldn’t bring reinforcements for our boys in Sievierodonetsk,” he continued.

Since being driven back from the capital Kyiv, Russia has launched a major offensive in Luhansk and Donetsk, the two provinces that make up the eastern Donbas region.

For both sides, fighting in the east in recent weeks has been one of the war’s deadliest phases, with Ukraine saying it is losing 60 to 100 troops every day.

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Ukraine’s military said on Saturday that Russia had used artillery to carry out “assault operations” in Sievierodonetsk. However, Russian troops withdrew and Ukrainian troops maintained positions inside the city, about 145 km from the Russian border.

Russian troops also attempted to advance towards Lysychansk, across the Siverskyi Donets river from Sievierodonetsk, but were stopped, the Ukrainian military general staff said. Reuters reached Sievierodonetsk on Thursday and was able to verify that Ukrainians still control parts of the city.

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