Fighting intensifies in eastern Ukraine

Brutal fighting took place in a key eastern Ukrainian city over the weekend as Russia’s invasion stretched into its fourth month.

Close-quarter combat was reported in Sievierodonetsk, a city critical to Russia’s efforts to conquer the Donbask region.

Almost every building in the city was damaged as Russian forces stormed in, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The push came after the invading army failed to surround Sievierodonetsk.

“Capturing Sievierodonetsk is a principal task for the occupation force,” Zelenskyy said, noting that the Kremlin doesn’t care about casualties.

The city has lost power and cell phone service, and a humanitarian relief center had to shut down, the president said.

Moscow-backed separatists have occupied parts of eastern Ukraine since 2014. Since failing to topple Kyiv in the initial stages of the invasion, the Kremlin has focused on capturing remaining territory in the region.

Moscow’s “unconditional priority is the liberation of … Donetsk and Luhansk,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Sunday, referring to the regions as “independent states.”

Ukrainian troops may be forced to withdraw from Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk’s Gov. Serhiy Haidai was quoted as saying by the BBC.

“It is possible that in order not to be surrounded, they will have to leave,” he said.

But Ukrainians appeared to be faring better in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, the second-largest city in the country.

Zelenskyy praised his country’s forces for pushing Russian troops back from nearby towns.

“I feel boundless pride in our defenders. Every day, risking their lives, they fight for Ukraine’s freedom,” Zelenskyy wrote in a messaging app.

His visit to Kharkiv marked his first time outside Kyiv since the start of the invasion Feb. 24.

More than 4,000 civilians have been killed in the invasion as of Friday, according to the U.N.

High Commissioner for Human Rights’s office, which noted the real death toll is likely far higher.

Ukrainian forces are planning a counteroffensive in the southern city of Kherson. Russian forces have been using the city as a staging ground, according to Voice of America.

Zelenskyy on Sunday repeated calls for more weapons from the West.

“Every day we are bringing closer the time when our army will surpass the occupiers technologically and by firepower,” he said. “We work every day to strengthen our defense. This is primarily a supply of weapons.”

The Biden administration is readying to send long-range rocket systems to Ukraine, according to the Washington Post. The systems would expand Ukrainian capacities miles beyond their current limits.

The U.S. is getting weapons into Ukraine “every single day … helping them literally in the fight, including howitzers, which are still arriving,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Friday.

The comments came in response to criticism from Sen. Lindsey Graham, the Republican from South Carolina who accused the White House of “dragging their feet” on weapons shipments.

The shipment of long-range weapons could be announced as soon as this week.

The European Union is set to hold a summit on Ukraine starting Monday.

On Saturday, leaders of France and Germany urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet Zelenskyy for “direct” and “serious” talks.

Negotiators for the Kremlin and Kyiv haven’t met in weeks.

With News Wire Services