Hundreds of russian occupiers remain surrounded at the Vovchansk Chemical Plant due to intense shelling by Ukrainian glide bombs. Recently, 30 russians surrendered, while about 400 others are unable to escape or find shelter, according to a report by Forbes, as cited by UNIAN.
It is noted that over the past weekend, several enemy battalions attempted to capture the chemical plant in central Vovchansk. The city was the first major target of russia's northern offensive, which began on May 10 and likely aimed to ultimately capture Kharkiv. However, the enemy's northern grouping of tens of thousands of soldiers failed to breach Vovchansk.
"Several Ukrainian brigades, including the elite 82nd Air Assault Brigade, moved north to confront the russians. Re-armed with ammunition urgently delivered from the United States, the Ukrainians fought the enemy street by street, building by building, and by late May halted their advance", - the article states.
After weeks of exhausting battles in the city, russian commanders made a bold move and ordered the capture of the plant to use it as a base for attempting to cross the Vovcha River, which forms a natural fortification for the Ukrainians defending the southern part of Vovchansk. However, the Defense Forces thwarted the enemy's plans and encircled around 400 occupiers at the plant.
"Ukrainian aviation joined the battle. MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters are dropping high-precision glide bombs of American or French manufacture on the plant", - noted Forbes.
The russians themselves compare the fighting in Vovchansk to the two most brutal battles of the war: in Bakhmut and Avdiivka. In Avdiivka, russian aviation dropped dozens of glide bombs daily, forcing the Ukrainian army to retreat in February. Now, the situation has repeated, but under the "rain" of bombs, it's the russians who are now trapped, the publication notes.