Russia’s Defence Ministry on Sunday said that its Iskander missiles have hit the Kharkiv Tank Repair Plant. The situation north of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, is quite difficult as Russian forces have been trying to get closer to shell the city again, an official at Ukraine’s interior ministry said Sunday.

Meanwhile, Sievierodonetsk, a prime target in Moscow’s offensive to seize full control of the eastern region of Luhansk, was again under heavy artillery and rocket fire as Russian forces attacked areas outside the industrial city, the Ukrainian military said.

The Ukrainian armed forces’ general staff admitted its forces had suffered a military setback in the settlement of Metolkine, just to the southeast of Sievierodonetsk. Russia’s defence ministry said it had taken control of Metyolkine, just southeast of Sievierodonetsk, as per reports many Ukrainian fighters had surrendered there. Ukraine’s military said Russia had “partial success” in the area.

Meanwhile, the head of Nato said on Sunday the war in Ukraine could last years and Ukrainian forces faced intensified Russian assaults after the EU executive recommended that Kyiv should be granted the status of a candidate to join the bloc.