Sievierodonetsk is under occupation, Russians appointed their "commandant" - Head of Sievierodonetsk Military Administration

ALONA MAZURENKO — SATURDAY, 25 JUNE 2022, 18:22

Oleksandr Striuk, the head of the Sievierodonetsk Military Administration, said that the city was completely under Russian occupation and the occupiers had already appointed their "commandant". 

Source: Oleksandr Striuk, the head of the Sievierodonetsk Military Administration, on air during the 24/7 national newscast

Quote from Striuk: "The city is completely under occupation by the Russian Federation. They are trying to take control of everything there and as far as I know they have appointed a "commandant" there and are collecting some "assets". 

The city is so ruined that it will be difficult for people to live there. We hope that the city will be returned to Ukraine’s control as soon as possible."

Details: According to Striuk, at present it is possible to leave the city only in the direction of the occupied territory.

The head of the city’s Military Administration said that people who were hiding in the Azot chemical plant have begun to leave. They are under occupation. Propagandists are already shooting provocative videos with them.

Quote from Striuk: "People who have been hiding in the shelters of the Azot plant for more than three months need psychological assistance, but the Russians immediately began filming propaganda stories, taking advantage of their condition". 

He added that the local hospital had a sufficient supply of medicines.

In Sievierodonetsk, the Ukrainian military has withdrawn to more fortified defensive positions, which will allow for further defence.

Striuk added that "there is almost no Sievierodonetsk left". 

• On 23 June, Serhii Haidai, head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration, said that Ukrainian defence forces in Sievierodonetsk could retreat to new, better-fortified positions.
• On 24 June, Haidai reported that Ukrainian defenders had stopped the Russian offensive near Borivske in Luhansk Oblast and repulsed the attack on Lysychansk, while the occupiers had managed to capture Mykolaivka, and fighting was continuing in Sievierodonetsk.
• Haidai later said that the Ukrainian troops defending Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast had been ordered to retreat to better-fortified positions.
• Yurii Butusov, a journalist, said that Ukrainian units had left part of the Sievierodonetsk industrial zone in an organised manner.
• The US Department of Defence endorsed the withdrawal of troops from Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast.