Russia putting ‘all its resources’ to capture Donbas city: Governor

Ukrainian forces endured heavy artillery barrages on Sunday as they held off Russian attempts to capture Sievierodonetsk, the largest city Kyiv still controls in the Luhansk region of the Donbas, Ukrainian officials said.

The shelling was so intense it was not possible to assess casualties and damage, Luhansk governor Serhiy Gaidai has said adding that  “next week will be very hard as Russia puts all its resources into seizing Severodonetsk.”
The battle for Sievierodonetsk, which lies on the eastern bank of the Siverskyi Donets River, is in the spotlight as Russia ekes out slow but solid gains in the Donbas, comprising of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

Having failed to take the capital Kyiv in the early phase of the war, Russia is now seeking to consolidate its grip on the Donbas, large parts of which are already controlled by Moscow-backed separatists.

Meanwhile Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Ukrainian troops on the frontlines in northeastern Kharkiv region on Sunday. The trip marked his first official appearance outside Kyiv region since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion on Feb. 24.

Ukrainian troops pushed Russian forces back from around Kharkiv earlier this month but the city has come under renewed artillery fire this week.

The Ukrainian government has also urged countries to provide it with more longer-range weapons in order to turn the tide in the war, now in its fourth month.
KYIV, May 29 (Courtesy: Al Jazeera / Reuters)