Russia closes in on Sievierodonetsk

Islam News – Moscow’s forces could encircle the key city of Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine and cut it off within days, the governor of Luhansk said.

Ukraine has poured troops and resources into holding the city, its last holdout in Luhansk. Capturing Sievierodonetsk would give President Vladimir Putin a key victory in his bid to control the industrial Donbas region, which includes Luhansk. Civilians in Lysychansk, a neighboring city, are leaving.

Ukrainian troops in the east are suffering heavy casualties — at least 100 soldiers are dying each day — and running short on ammunition. The country’s leaders are pressing the U.S. and other Western allies for longer-range weapons as Russia targets artillery supplies: Moscow said it had destroyed American and European antitank and antimissile systems in a military warehouse in western Ukraine. Here are live updates.