Russia’s final push to cut off Sievierodonetsk could happen in days, a Ukrainian official says.

Russian forces are fighting to complete an encirclement of Sievierodonetsk and may completely cut it off in the coming days, the governor of the region that includes the city said on Sunday, suggesting that a major goal of Moscow’s revised military campaign, fought over for weeks, could soon be achieved.

The Ukrainian government has poured troops and resources into its effort to hold on to Sievierodonetsk, a strategically important, industrial city and the last major urban center in Luhansk that has not yet fallen. Russia’s forces are trying to capture all of the wider Donbas region, which includes Luhansk, and where it has held significant territory since 2014.

“The situation in Sievierodonetsk is extremely difficult,” the regional governor, Serhiy Haidai, said on Telegram. “The Russians are making every effort to cut off Sievierodonetsk. The next two or three days will be significant.” Read more

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