British Army: Most of Sverodontesk is controlled by Russia.
The British intelligence service acknowledged Russian dominance over most of Sverodontesk, but claimed that Russian forces had made little progress in trying to encircle a wider area of northern and southern Ukraine.
At the same time as the Russian Defense Minister announced that Russian forces were advancing in eastern Ukraine and taking control of 15 key areas, London also confirmed the Russian takeover of much of the strategic city of Sverodontesk.
“Clashes continue around Siurodontsk,” the British military intelligence chief said today (Friday). “Russia regained control of the city, but its forces made little progress in trying to encircle a wider area north and south [of Ukraine].”
According to the organization’s website, the statement claimed: “Russia is having difficulty in providing basic public services to the people of the occupied territories. “Access to safe drinking water is not possible, and major disruptions to telephone and Internet services continue.”
“There is probably a severe shortage of medicine in Kherson, and on the other hand, Mariupol is at risk of widespread cholera,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “Cases of cholera have been reported since May.”
“Ukraine suffered a major cholera epidemic in 1995 and has experienced minor outbreaks since then, particularly along the shores of the Sea of Azov – which includes Mariupol,” the report said.
“The system at Mani in Mariupol is probably close to collapse at the moment, and will further exacerbate the widespread outbreak,” the military intelligence agency said.
The British military has previously claimed that Moscow was trying to seize Sverodontesk, claiming that the Ukrainian military was resisting Russian ground advance. (More details)
Also today, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that since the beginning of the operation, more than 1,500 Ukrainian aircraft, including fighters, helicopters and UAVs, have been destroyed.
