Ukrainian soldiers and civilians trapped underground in Azot Chemical Plant, Severodonetsk

Ukrainian soldiers and civilians trapped underground in Azot Chemical Plant, Severodonetsk

Ukrainian soldiers and civilians trapped underground in Azot Chemical Plant, Severodonetsk. Image: British MoD

THE British Ministry of Defence released its latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine and focused on the situation at the Azot Chemical Plant in besieged Severodonetsk.

On Wednesday, June 15, the British MoD provided its latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine, which noted that ‘Ukrainian soldiers, along with several hundred civilians, are sheltering in underground bunkers in the Azot Chemical Plant, in Severodonetsk’s industrial zone.’

The battle for the Severodonetsk pocket has been raging for weeks now and has swung back and forth between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

However, on Wednesday, June 15, British intelligence revealed that “after more than a month of heavy fighting, Russian forces now control most of Severodonetsk.”

It added: “Russia’s urban warfare tactics, which are reliant on heavy use of artillery, have generated extensive collateral damage throughout the city.”

According to the MoD, “Russian forces will likely be fixed in and around Azot whilst Ukrainian fighters can survive underground. This will likely temporarily prevent Russia from re-tasking these units for missions elsewhere.”

“It is highly unlikely that Russia anticipated such robust opposition, or such slow, attritional conflict during its original planning for the invasion,” the report added.

On Tuesday, June 14, British Defence Intelligence noted that Russia’s operational main effort had remained the assault against the Severodonetsk pocket in the Donbas, while it stated, “its Western Group of forces had likely made small advances in the Kharkiv sector for the first time in several weeks.”

The situation at the Azot Chemical Plant in Severodonetsk draws comparison to the situation in Mariupol, where hundreds of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers were forced underground at the Azovstal steel plant.

Mariupol has since fallen to Russia, who have wasted no time in making changes to the Ukrainian port city.


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Written by

Matthew Roscoe

Originally from the UK, Matthew is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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