Ukraine loses control of the strategic city of Severodonetsk. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported Monday that the Russians had expelled the Ukrainian army from the center. Severodonetsk was at the center of the war for weeks.

The Ukrainian army staff said that the Russians displaced Ukrainian soldiers by shelling the city center with artillery. He also said that despite the setback, the Ukrainian army, which controls about a third of the city, is still fighting hard.

The news came hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that the strategically located city was “literally every meter”. Most of the city is in complete ruins from the constant fighting and bombing.

The Russian army made the siege of Severodonetsk one of its priorities, since the city, along with Lyschansk, is the only place in the Luhansk region that did not completely fall into the hands of the Russians. According to Zelensky, the battle of Severodonetsk determines the future of the Donetsk Basin, which consists of the Luhansk and Donetsk provinces.

Meanwhile, the battle in Severodonetsk appears to be heading towards the Azot plant. On Sunday, large clouds of smoke were seen over the factory as a result of the Russian bombing. Part of the plant caught fire this weekend after bombing caused an oil leak.

The complex also serves as an important shelter for civilians. According to Ukraine, about 200 factory workers and 600 residents reside in the factory’s air raid shelters. According to the separatists, there are also three to four hundred Ukrainian fighters in the building.