Russian forces have seized most of the eastern city of Severodonetsk, although the main access road to the city is likely to remain under Ukrainian control, according to British intelligence.
The fall of the city would put almost the entire province of Luhansk under Russian control and allow the Kremlin to shift its focus to Donetsk Oblast.
The Defense Ministry said Russia had continued to make steady local gains, enabled by a large concentration of artillery. “This has not been without cost and Russian forces have suffered losses in the process,” the Defense Ministry said.
About 80 percent of the regional center, including the city’s eastern neighborhoods, is now occupied by Russian forces, wrote Serhiy Haidai, head of the Luhansk regional military administration.