BEIRUT — A monthslong defense that saw Ukrainian troops endure relentless bombardment and ferocious street skirmishes against their Russian adversaries ended Friday when military authorities ordered a retreat from the besieged city of Severodonetsk.
Though not strategically significant, the fall of Severodonetsk brings Russia to almost complete control of Luhansk, one of two disputed provinces that, along with Donetsk, make up the eastern region known as the Donbas.
After a stalled campaign to take Kyiv, Moscow reoriented its invasion plans for a full takeover of the Donbas in support of Russian-backed separatists who already controlled sections of the region since 2014.
