Kyiv admitted that Russian forces were close to complete control of the strategic city of Severodonetsk in the east of the country. On the other hand, Moscow revealed the implementation of an operation it described as the first of its kind in the skies of Ukraine.

Sergei Gaidai, governor of the Lugansk region, which includes Severodonetsk, said on Wednesday that Russian forces control a "large part" of the city, but its industrial areas are still under Kyiv's control, noting that "fighting continues only in the streets inside the city."

The governor of Lugansk added that Ukrainian forces may have to withdraw from the city as Russian bombardment continues "24 hours".

In his evening address to the people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "Severodonetsk remains the main fighting point in Donbass."

"It is a very fierce battle, very difficult, and perhaps one of the most difficult during this war," he added.

On the other hand, the American network "CNN" (CNN) quoted the governor of Luhansk as saying that Russian forces had taken control of most of the city of Severodonetsk.

The Ukrainian General Staff had confirmed that its forces repelled a Russian attack on Severodonetsk and in the direction of Usti Nevka.


Earlier, Russia said that its forces had taken control of parts of the strategic city of Severodonetsk, and were trying to control the industrial zone.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that his country's forces had "completely liberated" the residential areas in this industrial city known for its large chemical plant "Azot" and now controlled "97 percent of them".

The Ukrainian armed forces also reported the withdrawal of Russian forces from Melitopol and Vasylivka regions, south of Zaporozhye Province.

Ukrainian bombing

The pro-Russian Donetsk authorities reported the killing of a civilian and the wounding of 6 others, with Ukrainian shelling on areas in the city.

Yesterday saw 580 shells fall on 16 districts of Donetsk, which also caused damage to 34 residential buildings.

Meanwhile, the pro-Russian Luhansk authorities also said that their forces had killed 34 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed 7 personnel carriers in the past 24 hours.

To the south, the Ukrainian coastal defense units in the Odessa region reinforced their positions near the Black Sea, fearing that the Russians would carry out a sea landing on the coast of the province.

These reinforcements come after the announcement by the Southern Ukrainian Operations Command that 3 Russian landing ships have been stationed at sea on an ongoing basis.

The Su-57 fighter during a previous military parade (Anatolia)

first of its kind

In a related matter, Russia revealed an operation that it described as the first of its kind in the skies of Ukraine, and RIA Novosti news agency quoted an informed source, whose identity or description was not revealed, that Russia used 4 Su-57 fighters connected to a single information network with the aim of destroying Air defense modes.

This Russian agency quoted an informed source as saying that the Air Force carried out an operation to identify and destroy the air defense systems of Ukraine using a squadron of 4 newest "Su-57" multifunctional fighters.

This source added that "the aircraft were integrated into an information network by automated communication systems, data transmission, navigation and identification in real time."


Resume conversations

Politically, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there is a need to resume peace talks with Ukraine before talking about any possible meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart.

Lavrov's comments came during a press conference in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, who in turn talked about common ground for the resumption of talks between Moscow and Kiev.

After his talks, Lavrov said that his country is ready to guarantee the export of Ukrainian grain, while Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko considered Moscow's assurances "hollow words."

It is noteworthy that Turkey, at the request of the United Nations, offered assistance to escort grain cargo ships from Ukrainian ports, despite the presence of mines, some of which were revealed to have been planted near the Turkish coast.


hunger

In the same context, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the war in Ukraine threatens to unleash an unprecedented wave of hunger and social and economic chaos in the world.

"The repercussions of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the world are getting worse and have affected 1.6 billion people," Guterres said.

"The impact of the war on food security, energy and finance is comprehensive, serious and accelerating," Guterres added while presenting the second United Nations report on the consequences of the conflict.

"For people all over the world, war threatens to unleash an unprecedented wave of hunger and misery, leaving social and economic chaos," he warned.

In turn, the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Rebecca Greenspan, warned that the current food crisis may turn into a food disaster next year, if immediate measures are not taken to prevent it.

The Russian war on Ukraine last February led to the suspension of Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea.

The United Nations wants the two sides, as well as Turkey, its Black Sea neighbor and NATO member, to agree on a corridor.