Russia set to take full control of Luhansk in east Ukraine ‘within weeks: US defense official

Russian forces are set to seize full control of the Luhansk region within weeks, says a senior US defense official amid heavy fighting in the eastern Ukrainian region.

The cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk in Luhansk are “increasingly under duress” and could fall to Russian forces within weeks, The Washington Post quoted the unnamed official as saying on Sunday.

Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of bombarding a chemical plant sheltering hundreds of soldiers and civilians in Severodonetsk in a bid to take full control of the strategic city in eastern Ukraine.

Serhiy Haidai, Governor of the Luhansk region, said Russian forces will “throw all their reserves in order to capture the city” within a day or two to take control of the Lysychansk-Bakhmut highway, a vital supply route.

“The plant’s territory is simply being fired at,” Haidai said, adding that fighting is underway on the outskirts of the city, in the streets directly near the plant.

Haidai said Russian forces have destroyed a second bridge to the city to cut off Ukraine’s ability to send in reinforcements.

Russia has already liberated 97 percent of the Luhansk Province, but capturing the strategic city of Severodonetsk remains crucial to its broader goal of controlling the eastern Donbas region, which comprises the Luhansk and Donetsk Provinces.

Leonid Pasechnik, the Head of the Luhansk People’s Republic, acknowledged that “Severodonetsk is not completely 100 percent liberated. So, it’s impossible to call the situation calm in Severodonetsk, that it is completely ours.”

Meanwhile, Vadym Skibitsky, Deputy Head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, said that Russia has extended its planning for the conflict for another four months.

“According to our estimates, Russia still has the potential to wage a long-term war against Ukraine,” he told a Russian-language channel adding that Moscow can keep up its current level of fighting for at least another year without needing to manufacture more weapons.

“The situation is very difficult because the Russians have a significant superiority in the weapons available to them,” he added.