Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Ukraine said it clawed back a chunk of the industrial centre of Sievierodonetsk in combat that appeared Saturday to be stymieing a Russian drive to capture the ruined city, the focus of Moscow’s offensive to take the eastern Donbas region.
Sergiy Gaidai, governor of Luhansk province, told national television that Ukrainian troops had retaken 20% of the territory they had lost in Sievierodonetsk. It was “not realistic” the city would fall in the next two weeks even though Russian reinforcements were being deployed, he said on Friday.
Ukrainian officials are counting on advanced missile systems that the United States and Britain recently pledged to swing the war in their favour, and Ukrainian troops have already begun training on them.While Ukraine’s resistance has forced Putin to narrow his immediate goal to conquering the entire Donbas region, Ukrainian officials said he remains intent on subduing the whole country.
Moscow has poured troops and materiel into the battle for Sievierodonetsk, which Russia must overrun to take all of Luhansk, one of two provinces that comprise the eastern Donbas region that the Kremlin has stated it intends to capture.