SOLEDAR | Ukrainian forces seemed on Wednesday close to giving in to Severodonetsk, a strategic city in Donbass, witness to the advance of the Russian army in the east of the country where the Ukrainians are counting on the "more advanced missile systems" announced by Washington to overthrow the trend.

• Read also: [LIVE] 98th day of war in Ukraine: here are all the latest developments

• To read also: Ukraine: Germany will deliver an air defense system

• Read also: Military aid to Ukraine: Moscow denounces an increased risk of Russian-American confrontation

After 98 days of war, Russian forces “now control 70% of Severodonetsk,” Sergiy Gaïdaï, governor of this region of the Donbass basin, declared on his Telegram channel on Wednesday.

If he added that they “do not completely occupy” this industrial city, he seemed to be preparing for it: “if in two or three days the Russians take control of Severodonetsk, they will install artillery there and mortars and will bombard more intensely Lyssytchansk”, the neighboring city separated from Severodonetsk by the Donets river, according to him more difficult to take because “situated on heights”.

Severodonetsk has become the administrative capital of the Lugansk region for the Ukrainian authorities, since the capture of the city of Lugansk itself in 2014 by pro-Russian separatists supported by Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday evening that the "indiscriminate" strikes by the Russian army" on this city, in particular on a large chemical plant, were "simply crazy". "But on the 97th day of such a war, it is no longer surprising that for the Russian military, for the Russian commanders, for the Russian soldiers, any madness is absolutely acceptable," he added.

The other region of Donbass, that of Donetsk, is also under Russian fire.

AFP journalists saw buildings destroyed by missiles on Tuesday in Sloviansk - some 80 km west of Severodonetsk - in which three people died and six others were injured. And on Wednesday, a cluster munition missile strike left at least one dead and two injured in Soledar, a city equidistant from Sloviansk and Severodonetsk, AFP noted.

According to Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Malyar, Moscow wants to "encircle the Ukrainian troops and complicate the situation by blackmailing us later with these encircled troops, which in general can be called a 'cauldron'".

“So far they have not succeeded, because the Ukrainian army is resisting with great power,” she said on YouTube on Wednesday, while acknowledging that Russian forces had “the advantage in terms of quantity of equipment, weapons and men".

If the Russians manage to complete the encirclement of the Severodonetsk-Lyssychansk agglomeration, they could link up with Russian forces further west and launch an offensive on the other Ukrainian administrative capital of Donbass, Kramatorsk, according to reports. analysts.

Moscow has set itself the goal of taking control of all of Donbass.

More powerful rocket launchers

In this context, Ukrainian forces are eagerly awaiting deliveries of new, more powerful missile launcher systems promised by the United States.

"When you know that there are heavy weapons behind you, everyone's morale goes up," a soldier near the front line told AFP on Monday, who only gives his nom de guerre "Luzhnii".

US President Joe Biden wrote in the New York Times on Tuesday that his country will "provide the Ukrainians with more advanced missile systems and ammunition that will allow them to more accurately hit key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine."

According to a senior White House official, these are Himars (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), multiple rocket launchers mounted on light armor, with a range of about 80 kilometers. No delivery date has been specified.

This equipment is part of a new larger component of American military assistance to Ukraine, totaling $700 million, the details of which are to be given on Wednesday.

Some specialists believe that the Himars could change the military balance of power on the ground.

Anxious to avoid the United States being considered co-belligerent, US President Joe Biden nevertheless insisted that he “does not encourage” and “does not give Ukraine the means to strike” on the Russian territory.

He who declared on March 26 that Russian President Vladimir Putin should “not stay in power” also stressed that the United States “will not try to cause his ouster”, even if his actions are “scandalous”.

Unblock Ukrainian ports

Another priority for Westerners is to unblock Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, in particular the large port of Odessa.

At least 20 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain, stored in silos, cannot currently be exported due to a Russian blockade, raising the risk of a global food crisis.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to discuss setting up “secure corridors” for the transport of these grains during a visit to Turkey on June 8, according to his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Cavusoglu. Even if Mr. Lavrov blamed this blockage on the West, who cut “logistical and financial chains” with their sanctions against Moscow.

They have to decide if they want to "make a publicity note on the issue of food security, or solve this problem with concrete measures: the ball is in their court", he said on Tuesday from Bahrain.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he proposed Saturday to Vladimir Putin the vote of a resolution at the UN to lift the blockade of Odessa.

“The decision depends on an agreement from Russia and the guarantees it provides: in the face of mine clearance (of the port of Odessa) which is essential so that bulk carriers and ships can be transported and take these cereals, (it is necessary) security guarantees provided to Ukrainians to prevent them from being attacked,” Macron said on Tuesday.

Soccer for Hope

After pushing Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership, the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to have other geostrategic effects: the Danes vote in a referendum on Wednesday on their country's entry into the policy of defense of the European Union, after refusing to do so for three decades.

The latest poll published on Sunday gives more than 65% of voting intentions for "yes". But uncertainty remains due to the expected high abstention, in a country used to saying “nej” (no) to referenda on Europe, the last in 2015.

Formerly marginal, European defense policy has grown in recent years, even if the ideas of a European army are still a foil for many capitals.

The results are expected Wednesday around 11:00 p.m. local time (9:00 p.m. GMT).

In Ukraine, it is especially the qualification match for the World Cup-2022 of the soccer team against Scotland which is expected, 90 minutes which should allow to escape from the daily life of the war.

"I hope for a victory," Andriy Veres told AFP. “Right now it is very important for the country, for everyone, for those who are football fans, but even for those who are not”.