Ukrainian forces are finding it hard to stave off Russian attacks in the centre of Sievierodonestk but Moscow does not control the eastern city, regional officials say. Russian forces have seized residential quarters of the key eastern city and are fighting to take control of an industrial zone on its outskirts and the nearby towns, the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, said. Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showed significant damage in Sievierodonetsk and nearby Rubizhne.
Serhiy Haidai, Ukraine’s governor of Luhansk, has said “nobody is going to surrender Sievierodonetsk”. He said that the regional centre of Luhansk was experiencing the most intense fighting, saying: “Fierce battles are taking place in Sievierodonetsk, our defenders are fighting for every inch of the city.”
