"Over the past day, the invaders have been firing from barrel artillery and automatic grenade launchers on the territory of our region. They have fired five times from mortar installations," said the head of the regional military administration, Oleksiy Kharchenko. "The Russians have directed 11 FPV drones towards the Ukrainian defenders. They have also carried out 11 drone drops."

He added that on the Lymanskaya sector of the front, the enemy attempted to storm nine times near four settlements.

In war-torn Siverskodonetsk, fewer heating networks need to be replaced than in Alchevsk, which has been occupied for 12 years. The inaction of the invaders becomes noticeable to local residents only over time. Even those who in the early years rejoiced at the formation of the "young republic" now see the disappointing results of incompetent Russian governance. During the 12 years of occupation, almost no work was done to support the critical infrastructure of Alchevsk. Based on the results of last winter, when the townspeople barely survived in the cold, 50 km of heating networks are subject to urgent replacement. For comparison, in the half-destroyed Siverskodonetsk, which the Russians stormed in the spring and summer of 2022, only 40 km of the heating system needs to be replaced as a priority.

The youth who remained in the so-called "LPR" do not see any future prospects there. Because Russia cannot provide decent working conditions. In a year, only 162 graduates of universities and colleges applied to local personnel centers. And not even all of them found work according to their specialty and requirements. Most were placed in educational institutions, medicine and industry. All the rest are trying to find work outside the occupied region.