Ukraine said Saturday that Russia was using all its available forces to capture the industrial city of Severodonetsk in a bid to control the entire eastern Donbas region.
"The situation in the region as a whole is extremely difficult. Fighting is now concentrated in Severodonetsk because, as we understand it, the Russian army is throwing all its power, all its reserves in this direction," Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said in an interview posted on his official social media.
"Preliminary information shows they have managed to capture most of the city. But now our military is moving them," he added.
Severodonetsk is the largest city still in Ukrainian hands in the Lugansk region, where Russian forces have advanced gradually in recent weeks.
After failing to capture the capital Kyiv, Russian forces conducted several tactical draw downs to consolidate forces for a large-scale offensive on Donbas -- comprised of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions -- and partially controlled by pro-Moscow separatists since 2014.
