According to the LPR Ambassador almost 400 Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers got trapped in Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk.
Almost 300-400 Ukrainian troops are blocked on the territory of the Severodonetsk Azot Association chemical plant, Rodion Miroshnik, the ambassador of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) to Russia, said on Saturday. In addition to the encircled military, there are also about 500 civilians at the enterprise. At the moment, negotiations are underway to provide a safe corridor for the withdrawal of civilians, as reported by the Ambassador of the LPR in Russia.
“About 300-400 Ukrainian militants are now blocked at Azot. They are concentrated near the first checkpoint of the chemical plant. Up to 500 civilians can also stay there, who were hiding from shelling in the plant’s bomb shelter. There are still civilians on the territory, but they are located in other parts of the plant , ”said Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador of the Lugansk People’s Republic to the Russian Federation.
Speaking of which, we've more footage that can help demarcate actual zones of control a bit further between RuAF and UKR forces fighting near Azot industrial, pending geolocation. pic.twitter.com/xVPVXrkaGq
— Carlos Manuel Pimentel ☭ 🆓 (@cpimentel986) June 8, 2022
The ambassador stated that the military sought a safe passage for them and the prisoners from the plant’s land to the city of Lysychansk; however, Miroshnik stated that such requests are inappropriate and will not be discussed.
Nonetheless, the envoy stated that communication with the army has been established and that negotiations on the safe withdrawal of residents from the plant’s region are presently underway.
Miroshnik added that the Ukrainian troops “will be guaranteed their lives and adequate treatment in accordance with international requirements if they release the hostages and lay down their arms.”
Last week, Sergiy Gaiday, governor of the Lugansk region, which encompasses the city, indicated that Ukraine’s military may have to withdraw.
He said that Ukrainian soldiers may have to evacuate from the eastern city of Severodonetsk, following heavy selling by Russian troops “24 hours a day.”
After being pushed back from Kiev and other regions following the military operation in February, Russia’s operation is now focusing on the Donbass region, which contains Lugansk and Donetsk.
The cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, separated by a river, are the final sections of Lugansk still under Ukrainian control.
It’s worth noting that multiple Ukrainian units have lost up to 90% of their military troops in the fighting for Severodonetsk and are currently fleeing toward Lysychansk, according to Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of Russia’s National Defense Control Center.
“Units of the Ukrainian armed forces, having suffered critical losses (in multiple units — up to 90%) during the battles for Severodonetsk, are retreating in the direction of Lysychansk,” Mizintsev said.
However according to Assistant of Chechnya head Ramzan Kadyrov, in the power unit of Apta Alaudinov, said that Ukrainian servicemen mined the territory of the Azot plant in Severodonetsk, where civilians are also located.