Ukrainian regional officials say Russian forces “stormed” Severodonetsk after unsuccessfully trying to encircle the city. The city is currently the center of the fighting.

No connection possible

Because of the fighting, the power was cut off and communication could not be made. The city is located 143 kilometers south of the Russian border.

Russia is also trying to capture neighboring Lyschansk, where civilians are trying to escape the constant bombardment.

The two cities are the last major Ukrainian-controlled areas of Luhansk Province, which together with neighboring Donetsk make up the Donbass region.

Russian forces have made little progress in recent days thanks to the Ukrainian army’s bombing of sites.

Zelensky visits troops in Kharkov

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today visited Ukrainian forces in the northeastern Kharkov region. This was Zelensky’s first official visit outside the Kyiv region since the start of the war in Ukraine.

According to his office, Zelensky offered much praise to the troops during his visit. “You are risking your life for all of us and for our country,” he said. He also distributed gifts to the soldiers.

Since mid-May, it has been relatively calm in Kharkov, about 50 kilometers from the Russian border. At least seven civilians were killed on Thursday in Russian bombing of the city.

Ukrainian President Zelensky describes the situation in the east as “indescribably difficult”.

for kids

Refugee citizens describe the situation in the cities as “terrible.” Yana Skakova is one of them (see photo below). She left with her two sons aged 18 months to 4 years, while her husband had to stay. The family has been living in a basement for the past few months.

“None of us wanted to leave our hometown,” she says. “But for the kids, we decided to leave.”

Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk said 1,500 civilians have been killed in Russian attacks on Severodonetsk since the start of the war.

It is feared that the city of about 100,000 inhabitants before the war would be the next Mariupol. That city was completely destroyed, and thousands of civilians lost their lives.