Pro-Russia & Ukrainian forces tense firefight for control of strategic city in Luhansk.

A tense firefight in real-time as pro-Russia soldiers advance on a strategic city in eastern Ukraine.

The video opens with Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) soldiers crawling through a field before opening fire on damaged buildings in what looks like a residential area.

An enemy soldier is seen returning fire from a smashed window in the building and the footage ends with the LPR troops advancing on his position.

Newsflash obtained the footage from the People's Militia of the LPR - a pro-Russia breakaway state in Luhansk Oblast in eastern Ukraine - today (Monday, 23rd May).

The People's Militia (NM) of the LPR said (in Russian): "The 202nd regiment of the NM of the LPR is rushing into battle and storming enemy positions."

In a separate statement, the NM of the LPR said (also in Russian): "During the clashes with units of the defence department, over the past day, the enemy suffered losses in manpower and military equipment, namely: 12 personnel; 2 armoured personnel carriers; 9 vehicles; 6 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine made the right decision, laid down their arms and thus saved their lives.

"The enemy continues to terrorise the civilian population of the Republic, shelling the civilian infrastructure of the front-line settlements of the LPR, which do not pose a danger to the enemy and are not military facilities.

"Over the past day, Ukrainian armed formations fired thirteen shells and mines from 122-mm artillery pieces and 120-mm mortars at the settlements of Pervomaisk and Kremennaya.

"In order to suppress the enemy's fire activity on civilians of the Republic, the positions of the VFU [Ukrainian military], from which the fire was fired, were promptly detected and destroyed by the on-duty firepower of the units of the NM LPR.

"The forces of the NM of the LPR, together with public organisations, continue to deliver humanitarian aid to residents of the liberated territories, as well as to front-line settlements of the Republic.

"So, yesterday, the servicemen of the NM of the LPR, together with the volunteers of the All-Russian Popular Front, delivered humanitarian aid to the residents of the settlement Bulgakovka."

Russia and the LPR are currently intensifying efforts to capture the strategic eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk.

If Sievierodonetsk falls under LPR control, the LPR will control almost all of Luhansk Oblast.

Russia is the only United Nations member state to formally recognise the LPR.

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