Humanitarian aid, mobile communications and the Internet appear in the liberated territories of the Luhansk region
The most stubborn battles on March 17 in the LPR unfolded northwest of Severodonetsk - for the city of Rubezhnoye. Here the people's militia managed to reach his administration and plant the flag of the republic over it. The fighters of the Chechen company say that they are ready to take the city completely in the next few days. The ways for the withdrawal of refugees from this region have already been cleared and their settlement in the liberated territories is being adjusted. About the situation in the zone of the main strike — in the report of the correspondent of "Izvestia".
The offensive line
Late in the evening on March 17, the People's Militia of the LPR for the first time showed a video from the Rubezhny center, the battle for which lasted several days. The whole city has not been cleared yet, but success in this direction will pose a serious threat to the entire AFU grouping in Severodonetsk and Lisichansk.
Unusually cold weather has been hindering the fighting for several days. At night, the temperature drops to -10 degrees, during the day it does not even rise to zero. Strong snow charges, replaced by a clear sky, resemble Murmansk in March rather than the warm south. The chernozem, saturated with moisture after winter, partially froze from above and therefore became only more insidious for military equipment.
A silent warning about difficulties was a tank clearly visible from the road near Novoaydar, which tried to drive across the field. He got stuck to the top of the caterpillars, and then froze into the ground during the night cold. They won't be able to get him out of there for a long time. Therefore, the maneuvers of the troops are still limited by the road network.
On the near approaches to Severodonetsk, the picture is changing. The breath of the front is palpably felt here. On the dead rural roads between Starobilsk and Rubezhny, military Urals, KAMAZ trucks and old KrAZy run in both directions. Even from the road, deployed 152-millimeter batteries are visible, and closer to the front - and 122-millimeter howitzers.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov
Image source: iz.ru
Mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile systems Strela-10M3 and Tor are on duty in the areas of artillery deployment. Some of them are recharged. It immediately becomes clear that they do not stay idle here. The Russian Ministry of Defense reports daily on the downed drones of the Ukrainian forces. Before that, the fighters advancing on Severodonetsk from the eastern side also told us about the large number of drones at the Ukrainian troops near Severodonetsk.
The brutality of the fighting here is evidenced by the destroyed military equipment, frozen on the roadsides. Not far from Varvarovka we come across a particularly badly damaged T-72 tank. It is shattered by an internal explosion. The tower lies separately. Nearby are the bodies of the entire crew of three people. The damage to the combat vehicle is so serious that it is impossible to accurately determine its affiliation and the cause of death.
Despite the persistent fighting, the attackers on Rubezhnoye and Severodonetsk are confident of an early victory.
- The complete capture of Rubezhny is a matter of one or two days, - the commander of the Chechen company with the call sign Lobzik, acting in this direction jointly with the LPR NM, tells us. - Nationalists are bad soldiers, especially in urban battles. All they can do is hide behind civilians, and this is simply unworthy of a warrior.
In the morning and afternoon of Thursday, it was unusually calm in the Rubezhnoye area. Artillery from both sides was silent, although it is usually heard tens of kilometers from the place of fighting. This allowed a new wave of refugees to get out of the city.
Refugee exodus
It was not possible to agree on humanitarian corridors from Rubezhny, Severodonetsk and Lisichansk with the Ukrainian leadership, so people are escaping from the cities as best they can, at the risk of their lives. In the afternoon, pauses are announced in the work of the artillery, which allow them to leave. Basically, people leave the city in their cars, on secondary, completely killed and therefore poorly guarded roads. Some had to go out on foot altogether. Fortunately, the village of Varvarovka, reliably controlled by the forces of the LPR and relatively safe, is only a few kilometers from the Frontier. From here they are evacuated in army vehicles.
Cars usually do not go alone. On the road between Rubezhny and Starobilsk, groups of three or four cars regularly come across. All of them have white or red rags tied on mirrors and antennas. Signs with large handwritten inscriptions "Children" are fixed on the windows of many cars. Unfortunately, this is a poor defense during shelling.
Some servicemen of the People's Militia of the LPR themselves come from these places. They painfully ask those who escaped from Lisichansk and Severodonetsk about the destruction of the streets and districts they know.
All the refugees tell us that the humanitarian situation in the cities is desperate. Residents are constantly in basements and do not understand who is shooting from where and what is happening around. Many decided to leave today after particularly strong night artillery strikes.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov
Image source: iz.ru
— They evict people from the first floors of buildings and strengthen themselves on them, and leave them on others, - says the driver of a white Renault with the inscription "Children" on the windshield. — But how will you live at the same time on the second floor, realizing that you are in constant danger?
Right in Varvarovka, not far from the front line, a 10-ton military KAMAZ truck with humanitarian aid is being unloaded. It was assembled by Russians and Luhansk residents and is intended for both refugees leaving the city and local residents. The St. Ilyinsky Monastery was chosen as the distribution point.
— We delivered warm clothes, food, water. Food products are non-perishable: canned food, cereals, sweets, as well as medicines," says a representative of the people's militia accompanying the cargo.
Near Starobilsk, the local Ministry of Emergency Situations has deployed a small tent camp with a heating point. Here, refugees arriving by car can receive the first full-fledged assistance.
Most of those traveling in this direction have relatives on the territory of the LPR. But for those who have nowhere to stay, accommodation is organized in dormitories and even in the barracks of the people's militia.
Now Starobilsk has become the main point for the reception and distribution of refugees. Mobile communication and Internet from the LNR mobile operator have already appeared here. A test launch of the Starobilsk–Lugansk social commuter train has been announced in the coming days. With its help, it will be possible to take people deep into the most peaceful territory in large groups and as safely as possible.
Anton Lavrov
