The battle for Severodonetsk — one of the last big cities under Ukrainian control in a key eastern province — is emerging as a focal point in Russia’s war. Russian troops are constantly bombarding the area and using “scorched-earth” tactics in the city as the Kremlin seeks to capture the Luhansk region, its governor said.
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Severodonetsk: Russian forces attempting to surround the city made minor gains in the past 24 hours, driving north through the town of Zolote, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said in its latest assessment. Fighting is also continuing in the town of Lyman, to the north, as Russian forces attempt to cut off Ukrainian supply lines.
Kharkiv: A Ukrainian counteroffensive northeast of Ukraine’s second-largest city continues to threaten Russian positions, the ISW’s military analysts said. The counterattack is forcing Russia to pull units from offensive operations in eastern Ukraine to shore up their defensive positions near the city of Vovchansk, on the border with Russia.
Kyiv: Despite almost daily air raid sirens and the presence of soldiers in the streets, the Ukrainian capital is springing back to life, with restaurants, bars and stores full of people over the weekend.
Chernihiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday night that 87 people were killed after Russian troops on May 17 fired four missiles at Desna, a village on the banks of the Dnieper River north of Kyiv, in what appears to be one of the deadliest attacks of the war. There is a Ukrainian military training center in the area, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether the dead were civilians or service members.
Mariupol: The pro-Russian head of an area of eastern Ukraine controlled by separatists said preparations are being made for an “international tribunal” to try Ukrainian fighters who left the Azovstal steel plant in this southern port city under a negotiated surrender.
Paulina Villegas, Kasia Strek and Jennifer Hassan contributed to this report.
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