Russian forces were seeking to swallow up the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk region, while pressing their momentum following the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the charred ruins of Sievierodonetsk.
Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russian and separatist forces now fully control Sievierodonetsk and the villages surrounding it. He said the Ukrainian forces' attempt to turn the Azot plant into a "stubborn center of resistance" had been thwarted.
Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk have been the focal point of a Russian offensive aimed at capturing all of the Donbas and destroying the Ukrainian military defending it -- the most capable and battle-hardened segment of the country's armed forces. Russian missiles struck the Yaroviv base in March, killing 35 people. The Lviv region, although far from the front lines, has come under fire at various points in the the war as Russia's military worked to destroy fuel storage sites.
In the north, about 20 missiles were fired from Belarus into the Chernihiv region, the Ukrainian military said. He said the war was at a difficult stage, "when we know that the enemy will not succeed, when we understand that we can defend our country, but we don't know how long it will take, how many more attacks, losses and efforts there will be before we can see that victory is already on our horizon."
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