Russia said it has offered Ukrainian fighters sheltering in the Azot chemical plant in the Eastern Ukrainian town of Severodonetsk the chance to surrender by Wednesday, June 15, 2022.
On Tuesday, June 14, 2022, Russia said that it would open a humanitarian corridor on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, to allow civilians to leave, and also urged Ukrainian fighters to “stop their senseless resistance and lay down their arms” at the same time. The Russian Defence Ministry noted that “Guided by the principles of humanity, the Russian armed forces and the formations of the Luhansk People’s Republic are ready to organise a humanitarian operation to evacuate civilians”.
According to local authorities, both the town and the Azot plant have become flashpoints of the conflict in recent weeks, with hundreds of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers holed up in the factory under intense shelling from Russian forces trying to capture the town.
The humanitarian corridor will be in place between 8 AM (05:00 GMT) and 8 PM Moscow time on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, the Defence Ministry noted, adding that the evacuees would be transported to the city of Svatovo (City in Ukraine) in the separatist-held region of Luhansk. So far, reports suggest that all the bridges over the Siverskyi Donets river linking Severodonetsk to Ukrainian-held territory have been destroyed.
A Russian Accusation
In the statement announcing the call to surrender, Russia’s Defence Ministry accused Ukrainian fighters of using the civilians in the Azot plant as human shields. Moscow made similar accusations but was rejected by Kyiv, several times since it sent its troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
Authorities in Ukraine disclosed that there are more than 500 civilians hiding inside Azot, adding that it is difficult to support them but there were some reserves inside the plant. A representative of the separatist authorities in Luhansk, Vitaly Kiselyov, estimated that some 2,500 Ukrainian and foreign fighters could be holed up at the Azot plant.
The Russian Defence Ministry said it earlier informed Kyiv of its offer and urged the authorities to give the order to surrender. The Russian army said that Ukrainian authorities requested that civilians from the Azot plant be transported to Kyiv-controlled Lysychansk, however, it added that the evacuation there is not possible because the last bridge linking the cities had been destroyed.
Ukraine Calls for More Weapons
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, once again appealed for heavy weapons from the West, criticising the “restrained behaviour” of some European leaders.
Mr. Zelenksyy, in comments to Danish journalists on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, insisted that the war could only end once Ukrainians were the only ones left on its territory, adding that how long that took depended “very much” on international support, and “the personalities of the leaders of European states”. He regretted what he called, “the restrained behaviour of some leaders” which he said, “slowed down arms supplies very much”. Zelenskyy repeatedly urged the West to deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine as quickly as possible.
