One-third of Severodonetsk controlled by LPR militia - Pasechnik

Lugansk People’s Republic People's Militia controls one-third of the Severodonetsk territory, LPR Head Leonid Pasechnik said in an interview with Russia’s TASS news agency.

“One might say that we control one-third of the town,” TASS quoted Pasechnik as saying.

The LPR leader said that fighting is ongoing in the built-up area and that the LPR forces are advancing not as fast as one would wish.

“But we want to preserve town infrastructure to the maximum in the first place,” Pasechnk said noting that "Ukraine has the opposite objections, so their tactic to hide behind the civilian population has been actively used in Severodonetsk since the beginning of the special operation.”

The LPR militia has been advancing toward Severodonetsk and Lisichansk since early March. Taking these settlements is a primary objective of the Republic’s Defense Ministry. The defense in depth organized by Kiev forces and their use of civilians as a human shield complicate the liberation of the towns. On top of that, the area accommodates several large chemical companies. On May 29, the LPR Defense Ministry said that LPR militia units, supported by Russian forces, had gained a foothold in Severodonetsk.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation to protect Donbass residents from Ukrainian aggression. Earlier, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin asked the Russian leader to provide military assistance. As of now, some 95 percent of the LPR territory has been liberated.

The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014.  The peace talks participants have announced ceasefire more than 20 times since the autumn of 2014. Kiev forces regularly violated the truce opening fire with large caliber artillery, mortars and tank guns which were to have been withdrawn from the contact line under the accords. *i*t