Battle for Sievierodonetsk ‘brutal’, Zelenksy says as Russia pushes Ukrainian troops to city’s outskirts
- Ukrainian troops in Sievierodonetsk are fighting one of the war’s most difficult battles, president says
- Kyiv’s forces have pulled back to the outskirts of the strategic city in the face of a fierce Russian assault
The battle for the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk is brutal and will determine the fate of the Donbas region, the country’s president said, as Russian troops lay waste to the city in an assault aimed at controlling eastern Ukraine.
After failing to take control of the capital Kyiv, the Kremlin says it is now seeking to completely “liberate” the Donbas, where Russian-backed separatists broke away from Ukrainian government control in 2014.
Around a third of the Donbas was held by the separatists before the February 24 invasion.
“This is a very brutal battle, very tough, perhaps one of the most difficult throughout this war,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video statement on Wednesday.
“Sievierodonetsk remains the epicentre of the encounter in Donbas … Largely, that is where the fate of our Donbas is being decided now,” he added.
Ukrainian fighters pulled back to the city’s outskirts on Wednesday but have vowed to fight there for as long as possible.