Head of Regional Military Administration Luhansk UkraineSerhii Haidai, said Russia has controlled 80 percent of its territory as of Wednesday (20/4). Luhansk is one of the eastern regions of Ukraine which has been dominated by pro-Russian separatists.
Haidai said if Ukrainian troops did not fight back, the Russian army’s attacks “certainly will not stop here and will continue to expand.”
Haidai thinks Russia has indeed launched the second phase of the war in Ukraine. However, he warned that Russia’s attack this time had not been “complete and complete”.
“Of course they (Russia) spread a lot. We continue to strengthen our defenses in many cities. They tried to surround our troops, many crimes they committed there, but so far they have not succeeded. We did well to destroy their defense equipment,” said Haidai to CNN from a secret location.
“The entire Luhansk region is being completely shaved off. No city is safe. We understand that Russia will go ahead and destroy everything in its path,” he added.
Haidai also said that the Luhansk authorities were still trying to evacuate as many civilians as possible to save them from the increasingly intense Russian onslaught.
Currently, Haidai said that there are still 70,000 people living in Luhansk out of a total of 350,000 before the war broke out.
“Most people go on their own transport or use the national bus or our volunteers. We don’t know when the humanitarian corridor will open, but we evacuate every day. The bottom line is Russia is always breaking the agreement. The shooting continues even in the quiet hours,” he said. Haidai.
Just like President Volodymyr Zelensky, Haidai also demanded Western countries, especially to continue to send as much weapons as possible to Ukraine.
Haidai considers that it is still possible for Ukraine and Russia to reach a political solution to end the war. However, he is pessimistic that it will happen in the near future because it is very difficult for him to believe Russia’s intentions at this time.
“They (Russia) lie all the time. Everyone knows about it. Nobody believes them. Everyone knows that the deal with Russia is not worth the promises they put on paper. Russia is the enemy of the whole world today not just Ukraine. Their ambitions spread further than Ukraine,” Haidai said.
It’s been more than a month and a half since Russia invaded Ukraine. Instead of stopping the attacks, Russia has intensified its attacks in eastern Ukraine, especially the Donbas, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Mariupol areas.
Explosions continue to be heard every day and even hours until the death toll continues to fall, including civilians and children.
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