Zelensky cries for weapons; Ukrainian MIG 29 downed; Severodonetsk hasn't fallen yet?

Zelensky cries for weapons; Ukrainian MIG 29 downed; Severodonetsk hasn't fallen yet?

Russian forces pushed the Ukrainian army out of the center, destroying all bridges to the city.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Sweden has taken important steps to meet Turkey's demands for Stockholm membership in the Alliance.

An important visit of the leaders of France, Germany and Italy to Kyiv is announced this week. None of them have been in Ukraine since the break out of the war.

Despite the introduction of six packages of sanctions, Moscow emphasizes that in the first 100 days of the war in Ukraine, it earned 93 billion euros from oil and gas exports, and most of the fossil fuels were sent to the European Union.

Russians "organize" evacuation?

The Russian military announced on Wednesday that it would establish a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of civilians captured at the Azot chemical factory in the besieged Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk.

"The Russian armed forces and formations of the Lugansk People's Republic, guided by the principles of humanity, are ready to organize a humanitarian operation to evacuate civilians for transport to the separatist region of Lugansk," the Russian Ministry of Defense announced today.

The Ministry also stated that it offers Ukrainian fighters who took refuge in Azot tomorrow the opportunity to surrender. He added that Ukraine had asked Russia to establish an evacuation corridor to help civilians leave the factory, "now that Russian forces have destroyed all bridges connecting Severodonetsk with Ukrainian-controlled territory."

Russia has not yet blocked Severodonetsk, although it controls 80 percent of the city

Severodonetsk, the main hotbed of fighting in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, has not yet been blocked by Russian troops, although they have destroyed all three bridges leading from the city and controlling about 80 percent of its territory, Luhansk Regional Governor Serhiy Haidai said today.

"There is still the possibility of evacuating the wounded, communicating with the Ukrainian army and the local population," he said. Haidai admitted that the mass evacuation of civilians is now "simply not possible" due to "ruthless" shelling and fighting in the city.

"Ukrainian forces have been pushed towards the industrial periphery of the city due to the strategy of the burned country and the heavy artillery used by the Russians," he said. About 12.000 people remained in Severodonetsk, a city that had about 100.000 inhabitants before the war. Haidai states that more than 500 civilians are hidden in the chemical factory Azot, which the Russians are also ruthlessly targeting.

Kyiv asks Moscow: Allow evacuation; The answer followed

Ukraine has asked Moscow to evacuate prisoners from the Azot factory in Severodonetsk, reports Russia Today.

"Russia will provide a way out for civilians in the Azot fertilizer factory, but will use a different plan than the one requested by Kyiv," the Russian military said in a statement, explaining the decision by fearing that Ukrainian troops would be pulled out of the blockade.

Zelensky: We have ammunition, we need long-range weapons

The Ukrainian army has enough ammunition and weapons, but it needs more long-range weapons, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today.

Haidai: Another 70 people evacuated from Lysychansk

The regional governor of the Ukrainian Luhansk region stated today that another 70 people were evacuated from Lysychansk and surrounding settlements.

In a statement on the Telegram, he assessed the conditions in the region, which is under heavy artillery attack by Russian forces, as "real hell", reports the BBC.

Haidai said that the evacuation was full of risks, because the residents "ran under the fire to the car" and could only move on when night fell. As he said, the shelling is so strong that people can no longer stand in shelters.

"As long as there is a possibility to save at least one life, we will do it," said the regional governor of Lugansk.

Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter, Mi-24 helicopter shot down

Russia's air defense systems shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter, a Mi-24 helicopter and nine drones over the past day, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said today.

"In one day, Russian air defense systems shot down a MiG-29 plane of the Ukrainian Air Force near Slavyansk, in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, and a Mi-24 helicopter near Snegirevka, in the Nikolaev region," Konashenkov said, RIA Novosti reported.

In addition, as he stated, the Russian air defense shot down nine Ukrainian drones in the areas of Kharkiv and Dnepropetrovsk and the DNR. The Ukrainian Point-U missile in the area and 14 MLRS Smerch missiles were also intercepted. According to Konashenkov, rocket troops and artillery destroyed more than 350 districts and command posts of Ukrainian forces.

"Missile forces and artillery hit 280 areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 18 command posts, 59 firing positions of artillery and mortar units, as well as fuel storage in the Konstantinovka region in the DNR," said a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry.