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After failing to control the capital KyivThe Kremlin said it is now seeking to "Release" Donbass region Ukrainian separatist, where separatists backed by Russia out of control Ukrainian government in 2014.
The separatists controlled about a third of Donbass before the start of Russian invasion On February 24.
In an illustrated speech, Zelensky said: "This is a very brutal battle, very difficult, perhaps one of the most difficult battles of this war".
He added that "Severodonetsk Still the focus of confrontation in Donbass. It is widely considered the place where the fate of Donbass is decided now".
وسحب Ukrainian fighters In Severodonetsk to the outskirts of the city, Wednesday, but they vowed to fight there as long as possible.
The artillery bombardment caused huge damage to the city in the Lugansk region, and Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of Lugansk, said that the city center was being destroyed.
Gaidai added, in statements to Ukrainian television late on Wednesday evening: "Our fighters are steadfast in the Severodonetsk industrial district. But the fighting is taking place not only in the industrial district, but in the city of Severodonetsk itself".
Gaidai added that Ukrainian forces are still in full control of the opposite city of Lysichansk on the western bank of the Seversky Donets River, but that Russian forces are destroying residential buildings there.
Kyiv’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, told the network "CNN" Russian forces far outnumber Ukrainian forces in Lugansk and Donetsk, which together make up Donbass, a region where many of the residents speak Russian.
But she added: "As we have already seen in the Battle of Kyiv, we may lose something temporarily. Of course we try to reduce it because we know what (could) happen (when) the Russians take over territory, but we will take it back".
Gaidai said Russia now controls more than 98 percent of Luhansk.
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After failing to control the capital KyivThe Kremlin said it was now seeking to “liberate” Donbass region Ukrainian separatist, where separatists backed by Russia out of control Ukrainian government in 2014.
The separatists controlled about a third of Donbass before the start of Russian invasion On February 24.
“This is a very brutal, very difficult, perhaps one of the most difficult battles of this war,” Zelensky said in an illustrated speech.
He added that “Severodonetsk Still the focus of confrontation in Donbass. It is by far the place where the fate of Donbass is now decided.”
وسحب Ukrainian fighters In Severodonetsk to the outskirts of the city, Wednesday, but they vowed to fight there as long as possible.
The artillery bombardment caused massive damage to the city in the Lugansk region, and Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of Lugansk, said that the city center was being destroyed.
“Our fighters are steadfast in the Severodonetsk industrial district. But the fighting is taking place not only in the industrial zone, but in the city of Severodonetsk itself,” Gaidai said in statements to Ukrainian television late on Wednesday.
Gaidai added that Ukrainian forces are still in full control of the opposite city of Lysichansk on the western bank of the Seversky Donets River, but that Russian forces are destroying residential buildings there.
Kyiv’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, told CNN that Russian forces far outnumber Ukrainian forces in Lugansk and Donetsk, which together make up Donbass, a region where many people speak Russian.
But she added, “As we have already seen in the battle of Kyiv, we may lose something temporarily. Of course we try to reduce that because we know what (could) happen (when) the Russians take territory, but we will get it back.”
Gaidai said Russia now controls more than 98 percent of Luhansk.