At Siervierodonetsk Poem by Gert Strydom

South-east of Siervierodonetsk at Metolkine
under heavy artillery fire and a assault
the Russians got a foothold,
have partial success to occupy the town,
where huge numbers of Russian reserve troops
are being sent from other battle zones
to reach Sievierdonetsk.

Large numbers of Russian artillery,
tanks and personnel carriers
are on the way to Sievierdonetsk
but are still thirty kilometers away
to the east,
and are moving at huge cost,
as they are having heavy losses
from attacks by Ukrainian forces.

Ten thousand civilians that include:
elderly people, women and children
are trapped under Russian assault
in Sievierodonetsk with all bridges destroyed,
very little food and water and have minimal
electricity and sanitation.

In the Azot chemical plant
five hundred civilians are trapped
where they are among the about four hundred
soldiers on the inside,
while eight hundred people
are hiding in bomb shelters
under the plant.

Fierce battles rage from house to house,
as Russian soldiers move from house to house
to kill the civilian occupants
and any person that they do encounter.

Street battles continue
between soldiers of the Ukraine and the Russians
while day and night
the Russians keep shelling the city
and their tactics are heavy artillery fire
followed by trying to break through

and the Ukrainian forces
are still holding out in hope
of long range artillery,
that was promised to arrive.

The local hospital is still stabilizing
the wounded where the Russians
are not in control of the
Lysychansk-Bakhmut route
but constantly try to take it.

The Ukrainian artillery is outnumbered
by ten to fifteen artillery pieces
and they are only firing
with 155 mm guns and shells
that they received from NATO countries
where no ammunition of the 157mm
with which they were equipped
are available as it is
only produced in Russia
and they are awaiting NATO countries
for more howitzers and ammunition
while the shells are running out.
© Gert Strydom