Russian forces took parts of Severodonetsk on Tuesday, as Moscow continued its push to take the strategically important city in Ukraine's Donbas. The Russian-backed leader of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, Leonid Pasechnik, told the Russian state-run TASS news agency on Tuesday that
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Smoke rose in Severodonetsk during heavy fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops in Ukraine's Donbas on Monday.ARIS MESSINIS/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
Russian forces took parts of Severodonetsk on Tuesday, as Moscow continued its push to take the strategically important city in Ukraine's Donbas.
The Russian-backed leader of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, Leonid Pasechnik, told the Russian state-run TASS news agency on Tuesday that a third of Severodonetsk was controlled by separatist forces. Video from Chechen fighters allied with Russia in the city showed soldiers moving unimpeded in the city center.
The Luhansk region and neighboring Donetsk make up Donbas.
The fall of Severodonetsk would put the Russians closer to their goal of controlling Donbas.
“Street fighting continues in Severodonetsk,” said Luhansk Region Governor Serhiy Haidai, adding that Ukrainian forces were trying to drive Russian troops to the city’s outskirts.
Should Ukraine cede Severodonetsk to the Russians, Kyiv’s troops would likely fall back to the neighboring city of Lysychansk, which overlooks Severodonetsk from across the Siverskyi Donets River.