Russia Renews Assault on Key Eastern City as Advances by Both Sides Slow
Ukrainian and Russian forces traded fresh blows on Sunday near Sievierodonetsk, military authorities and analysts said, as Moscow renewed its push toward the city, one of the last major Ukrainian strongholds in the east.
The battle for Sievierodonetsk has emerged as another crucial point in the war, as Russia struggles to notch victories. Following its failed assaults on Kyiv and Kharkiv, Russia’s military has regrouped and now appears concentrated on capturing the Donbas region in Ukraine’s east. A victory in Sievierodonetsk would give Russian forces control of Luhansk, one of two provinces that make up the region.
Moscow has already sustained heavy losses in its push toward the city, but capturing it could allow its forces to mount an assault on Kramatorsk, Ukraine’s military command in the region. At the same time, Ukraine’s Western allies are racing Howitzers to the front line to bolster the resistance.
@nytimes