The Russian army is making progress in taking the city of Severodonetsk, but the offensive is taking longer than expected. This is what Leonid Bashnik, the leader of Ukraine’s dissident Luhansk region, told Russia’s state news agency tast†

“We can already say that we have a third of Severodonetsk under control,” Pasnik said. “But first and foremost we want to preserve the city’s infrastructure as much as possible.” Ukrainian authorities have previously said that the Russians are pursuing a similar strategy to the port city of Mariupol, which is almost in ruins.

According to the official TASS news agency, the advance of the Russian forces is hampered by the deep defense of the Ukrainian armed forces in the region. The presence of many chemical plants in the region hinders progress.

The city of Severodonetsk is located in eastern Ukraine in the last part of the Lugansk region not yet occupied by the Russians. The capital of that region, the city of the same name Lugansk, has been out of Ukraine’s control since 2014. Therefore, many government tasks have since been carried out from Severodonetsk. Therefore the strategic and symbolic importance of the city is great.