JAKARTA - Russian troops destroyed the last bridge to the city of Sievierodonetsk, leaving civilians there trapped and impossible to get humanitarian supplies, the local governor said.
Governor Serhiy Gaidai said some limited military access remained to the ruined city which has become a key battleground for Ukraine as it tries to stop Russia's advance in the industrial heart of the Donbas.
"Now it's absolutely impossible to drive into the city, to deliver anything to the city. Evacuation is impossible," Gaidai said.
He wrote on the Telegram app that Russia has not yet taken full control of the city, with parts of it remaining under Ukrainian control, but it is no longer possible to transport humanitarian cargo there.
Gaidai also told Ukraine's Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty service, although 70 percent of the city is now controlled by Russia, the situation for Ukrainian troops there is difficult but under control.
"They have the ability to send the injured to the hospital, so there is still access," Gaidai said.
"It is difficult to deliver weapons or reserves. It is difficult, but not impossible," he added.
Street fighting has been raging for weeks in Sievierodonetsk, which four months ago was home to 100.000 people. Ukrainian officials say more than a tenth of that number remains in the city.
Ukrainian officials say hundreds of civilians are sheltering in the bunkers of the Azot chemical plant in the city.
VOIR éGALEMENT:
Gaidai said conditions for the thousands of civilians remaining in the city were 'very difficult', as three months of fighting had destroyed gas, electricity and water infrastructure, and there had been major disruptions' with medicine supplies.
Russia denies targeting civilians in what it calls "special operations" to restore Russian security and "denazify" Ukraine.
On the other hand, Kyiv and its Western allies have called this a baseless pretext for an invasion that has killed thousands of civilians, raising fears of a wider conflict in Europe.
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