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| Commander of the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) Says Ukrainian Troops Failed Evacuation of Severodonetsk Civilians |
International Military - Ukrainian soldiers hiding at the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk have foiled the evacuation of civilians through a humanitarian corridor provided by Russia. This was revealed by a military commander in the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR).
The evacuation of civilians from Azot had been completely thwarted by the opposing side, Aleksandr Nikishin, of the LPR's second army corps, told reporters. "One person - a 74-year-old man has come out of the factory," he added as quoted by Russia Today, Thursday (16/6/2022).
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It happened just before 8 a.m. local time when the Russian humanitarian corridor was about to start operating. Nikishin claimed the man left "accidentally" because he was not aware of the planned evacuation, saying Ukrainian forces had not informed the civilians inside about it.
"And at about 08:10 Kiev troops at the factory started shelling Russian positions from a tank, howitzer and mortars. Evacuation of people was not possible under such circumstances and the decision was made to close the humanitarian corridor," Nikishin said.
According to the LPR commander, talks with the Ukrainian military will continue to ensure that about 1,500 civilians at the factory are moved to safety. Ukrainian troops withdrew to the Azot chemical plant a week ago after the strategic city of Severodonetsk fell under Russian control. Moscow insists that civilians have been forced into the facility to be used as human shields.
Read Also: Russia to Immediately Evacuate Civilians from Chemical Plant in Severodonetsk City
On Tuesday, the Russian military said that Kiev had asked Moscow to provide safe passage for civilians at the factory to the Ukrainian-held city of Lisichansk on the other side of the Seversky Donets River.
The plan was rejected on the grounds that all bridges connecting Severodonetsk to Lisichansk had been destroyed. The Russian side also expressed concern that Ukrainian fighters could use the evacuation as an excuse to flee.
Instead, Moscow offered to open a humanitarian corridor to the city of Svatovo, controlled by the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), on Wednesday. Russia attacked its neighbors in late February, following Ukraine's failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreement, which was first signed in 2014, and Moscow's eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.
The protocol, brokered by Germany and France, was designed to give breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.
The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine formally declare itself a neutral nation that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Namin Kiev insisted that Russia's attack was completely unwarranted and refuted claims that it was planning to retake the two republics by force.