Ukrainian forces resisted a Russian assault on Sievierodonetsk, the largest city they still control in the eastern Donbas region, on Sunday, despite heavy artillery barrages, according to Ukrainian officials.
The shelling was so intense that it was impossible to assess casualties and damage, according to Serhiy Gaidai, governor of the Luhansk region. Several buildings have been destroyed in recent days.
‘The situation has become extremely tense,’ Gaidai said.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government has urged the West to supply it with more long-range weapons in order to turn the tide of the war, which is now in its fourth month.
The battle for Sievierodonetsk, located on the eastern bank of the Siverskyi Donets River, has drawn attention as Russia makes slow but steady progress in the Donbas, which includes the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
Russia has concentrated massive firepower on a small area, in contrast to previous phases of the conflict, when its forces were frequently spread too thinly.
According to analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, the Russians have yet to encircle the city, and the Ukrainian defenders have inflicted ‘fearful casualties’ on them.
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