Russia-Ukraine conflict: Moscow captures most of Severdonetsk, meets fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces

Russia has launched a new offensive in the war it is waging with Ukraine, looking to capture key cities. Even with fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces, Russia took control over most of the bombarded city of Severdonetsk.

Reuters reports that Russian forces and pro-Russian separatists have taken control over most of the wasteland that is now Severodonetsk, as Moscow’s goal of capturing the city completely becomes the main objective of its war with Ukraine. The constant bombardment of the city found in Luhansk was met with fierce Ukrainian resistance.

Pro-Russian separatists in the area have acknowledged that capturing Severodonetsk was taking longer than expected, even as it is one of the battlegrounds in the ongoing war. Russia’s assault on Severodonetsk comes as it failed to take control of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and its northeastern region.

The regional governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Gaidai, said that Russian forces have destroyed nearly all of Severodonetsk’s critical infrastructure, and 60 percent of residential properties were damaged beyond repair.

“Most of Severodonetsk is under the control of Russians. The town is not surrounded and the prerequisites for it to be are not in place,” said Gaidai, who noted that Russian shelling made it impossible to deliver aid or evacuate the residents that remain.

Gaidai warned the remaining residents of Severodonetsk not to leave their bomb shelters out of a possible Russian airstrike on a nitric acid tank. The police in the People’s Republic of Luhansk said Ukrainian forces destroyed the tank and have been going on a back and forth over similar accusations since April.

Meanwhile, Kyiv’s top prosecutor said during a news conference at The Hague that Ukraine has identified over 600 suspects and started prosecuting 80 of them. The list of its top suspects includes politicians, top military officials, and propaganda agents.

Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Iryna Venediktova added that there are 200 to 300 new cases of war crimes every day. Estonia, Latvia, and Slovakia also joined in the international investigation into the alleged war crimes committed by Russians in Ukraine, which already includes Poland and Lithuania. The probe started in March.

They are also cooperating with the team of the International Criminal Court, which is pursuing its own criminal investigation.