Russian forces destroyed the 155 mm heavy artillery field aided by Italy to Ukraine, and accelerated the attack on the eastern city of Severodonetsk.
“Reconnaissance artillery and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Russia discovered the battlefield of nationalist forces Ukraine armed with 155 mm cannon made in Italy. A guided artillery shell was fired and hit the target, the UAV later confirmed that the battery was completely destroyed,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on May 30.
Video released by the Russian military shows the battlefield with at least two heavy artillery pieces in a state of deployment next to a forest, before the guided shells plunge to create a large explosion and detonate the rockets close to them. there. The location of the shelling was not announced.
Ukraine’s 155 mm artillery field was hit by Russian shells in the video released on May 30. Video: Zvezda.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has not commented on the information. Ukraine’s military in mid-May said that Italy had delivered a number of 155 mm caliber FH70 howitzers, out of a total of 90 guns in the country’s service.
Lugansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai said Russian forces were close to the city center Severodonetsk, eastern Ukraine, after days of fierce fighting. It is one of the important urban centers in the goal of controlling the entire Lugansk region of Russia. Russian forces had previously taken control of Lyman, the smaller city and former railway hub in the region.
Governor Gaidai said that Ukrainian forces pushed back Russian units from the village Toshkovka south, making it difficult to encircle the entire area. He added that a French journalist was killed when his car was hit by shrapnel, while the process of evacuating civilians from the city was suspended.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that capturing Severodonetsk was “an important task of the enemy”. “90% of the buildings were damaged, more than two-thirds of the houses in the city were destroyed,” he said.
If we capture Severodonetsk and the city Lysychansk On the other bank of the River Siversky Donets, Russia will control the entire Lugansk province and create an important springboard for advancing westward to target Kramatorsk, where Ukraine’s Donbass regional military command is located. Ukrainian officials warn Severodonetsk risks the same fate as Mariupol.
However, concentrating forces on a small city of about 100,000 people before the conflict could leave Russia open to many areas. There are signs of Ukraine’s counter-offensive in the south, where Russia is consolidating control in Kherson province.
The US-based Institute for the Study of War said that Ukraine’s counter-offensive is not aimed at recapturing large amounts of territory in the short term, but could disrupt Russia’s operations and force Moscow to redeploy its forces to strengthen its military posture. fixed area.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry says the Russian military is looking to consolidate forces to attack the strategic town Slavyansk north of Kramatorsk.
The momentum of Russia’s advance in eastern Ukraine after three months of hostilities. Graphics: Washington Post.
A large explosion, believed to be caused by a car bomb, occurred on the morning of May 30 at a cultural house in the city center. MelitopolZaporizhzhia province, southeastern Ukraine, injuring at least two people.
Local authorities accused it of being a “terrorist attack” with a car bomb by Ukrainian “saboteurs”, targeting aid workers. Two victims were injured while distributing humanitarian aid to residents in Melitopol.
Russia and Ukraine have not commented on the incident.
While fierce fighting raged in the Donbass, peace talks between Russia and Ukraine remained stalled and the two sides blamed each other. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia does not want to negotiate to end the conflict.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said the talks had been frozen due to conflicting statements by Ukraine and its officials, leaving Russia “unable to fully understand what the Ukrainian side wants and whether it is ready to continue.” approach soberly, as well as realize the reality of the problem or not”.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has so far recorded more than 6.8 million Ukrainians leaving the country after Russia launched a military operation on February 24.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) estimated the fighting in Ukraine left at least 4,074 civilians dead and 4,826 injured, but warned the actual number could be higher.
Vu Anh (Follow Zvezda, Reuters)
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