|
Listen now
|
The Russian-battered eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk appeared to be on the brink of becoming another Mariupol on Monday as services and aid have been cut and Moscow seeks to capture all of Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region.
Luhansk regional Gov. Serhiy Haidai said the Russians have entered the outskirts of Sievierodonetsk and are pushing toward nearby Lysychansk. He said two civilians were killed and another five were wounded in the latest Russian shelling in the war.
The Ukrainian military said the Russian forces were reinforcing their positions on the northeastern and southeastern outskirts of Sievierodonetsk and bringing additional equipment and ammunition into the area to press their offensive.
Russian forces stormed Sievierodonetsk after trying unsuccessfully to encircle it, Ukrainian officials said, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the situation there as “indescribably difficult.” An intense Russian artillery barrage has destroyed critical infrastructure and damaged 90% of the buildings.
Sievierodonetsk, located 143 kilometers (89 miles) south of the Russian border, has emerged in recent days as the epicenter of the Donbas fighting. Mariupol is the city on the Sea of Azov that spent nearly three months under Russian siege before the last Ukrainian fighters surrendered.
Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk span the strategically important Siverskiy Donetsk River. They are the last major areas under Ukrainian control in Luhansk province, which makes up the Donbas together with the adjacent Donetsk region.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told French TF1 television Sunday that Moscow’s “unconditional priority is the liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” adding that Russia sees them as “independent states.” He also suggested other regions of Ukraine should be able to establish close ties with Russia.