Ukraine issues urgent calls for more Western weapons to help defend Sievierodonetsk, which could hold the key to the outcome of the battle for control of the eastern Donbas region.
Russian forces have swarmed into the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk and pounded a zone where hundreds of civilians were sheltering — a scene that mirrored Moscow's brutal capture of Mariupol last month.
In a report that was not confirmed by the Ukrainian side, a Russian-backed separatist said the last bridge into the city had been destroyed on Sunday, effectively blockading its Ukrainian defenders inside. "They have two options: either follow the example of their fellow soldiers and surrender, or die," Russia's RIA news agency quoted separatist spokesperson Eduard Basurin as saying.Regional governor Sergei Gadai had said on Sunday evening the last crossing over the Siverskyi Donets River was still standing after another bridge was destroyed earlier in the day."The third bridge is working.
On Monday, he said fighting was raging in the city, where Ukrainian forces were defending building by building. "The battles are so fierce that fighting for not just a street but for a single high-rise building can last for days," he said on social media.
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