Day 118 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Russia has Taken Over all of Sievierodonetsk except “Azot”

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Russia owns all of Sievierodonetsk without its largest plant, Ukraine confirmed

Fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Sievierodonetsk is currently being fought only in the city's industrial zone, and Ukraine owns only the "Azot" chemical complex. This was announced by the governor of Luhansk region Serhiy Haidai.

"The situation is very difficult on all lines of the Luhansk front", he said.

Ukraine is waiting for a decisive week to find out whether the city of Sievierodonetsk in Donbas will be completely taken over by Russian forces. Currently, according to Kyiv, Moscow is trying to "clean up" the "Azot" plant, the largest industrial complex in the city, where there are also hiding civilians, and thus Russia to take control of one of the last territories in the Luhansk region, still in hands of Kyiv.

According to the American Institute for War Studies, there is confirmation from Ukrainian sources that Russian forces control the whole of Sievierodonetsk without "Azot".

Russia continues to try to sever ties between the cities of Bakhmut and Lysychansk (the twin city of Sievierodonetsk on the other side of the Siverskyi Donets River). Air strikes have been reported near Lysychansk and Ustinovka.

More attacks are expected

Some experts in recent days have advised Ukrainian forces to focus on Lysychansk, withdrawing all their forces from Sievierodonetsk.

The fall of the two cities would put the entire Luhansk region under Russian control, which is why the regional governor Serhiy Haidai allowed leaving Sievierodonetsk for tactical purposes in recent weeks. At...