Why Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine is key to Russia’s war
The battle for Severodonetsk — one of the last big cities under Ukrainian control in a key eastern province — is emerging as a focal point in Russia’s war.
The head of the Luhansk region said Russian troops, bombarding the area constantly, are using “scorched earth” tactics in Severodonetsk. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that fighting in the east is becoming increasingly bloody, with up to 100 Ukrainian soldiers killed each day.
Russia is seeking to encircle Severodonetsk, which had a prewar population of about 100,000, now that a protracted battle for the port city of Mariupol has ended. Russia is attempting to gain control of Donbas, which includes the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Russian forces are “throwing everything that they have at it,” said Matthew Schmidt, associate professor of national security and political science at the University of New Haven in Connecticut.
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