Russia intensifies assault on key city Severodonetsk as it seeks to seize Donbass

As Moscow attempt to take the Donbass area, Russian forces in eastern Ukraine are stepping up attacks on a key city. Moscow's soldiers have been shelling Severodonetsk, the largest city under Ukrainian control in Luhansk province, with artillery and missiles. Russian military tried to invade the city from four directions on May 22, according to local officials. The announcement comes as the United Nations announced that the global number of displaced people has surpassed 100 million for the first time.

According to UN officials, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has contributed to the bleak milestone. Since the war began on February 24, it is estimated that over 14 million people have fled their homes. Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said the revelation should serve as a wake-up call to international leaders.

The 100,000-person Severodonetsk city is strategically located on the Donets River, and UK defence officials believe it has likely become one of Russia's "immediate tactical priorities".

According to Gaidai, Russian forces have demolished all but one bridge across the Donets River, putting the city at risk of being cut off. During the combat in the city, he also accused Russian tanks of firing on residential structures and of attempting to wipe Severodonetsk "off the face of the earth."

Russia-Ukraine war

Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, warned the city faces the same fate as Mariupol: being besieged and hammered into submission. According to the Ukrainian army's Facebook page, at least seven civilians were killed and eight more were injured in bombardment of the Donetsk region on May 22.

Moreover, officials said shelling and missile attacks continued to pound Kharkiv in the north and Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia in the south. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom claims that Russia has suffered a similar number of casualties in Ukraine as it did throughout the Soviet war in Afghanistan. It is unknown though that how many Russians are killed since the Moscow invaded Ukraine. Moscow has not updated its official figures since March, when defence officials said 1,351 troops had been killed in a "special operation" to demilitarise its neighbour.

(With agency inputs)

Image: AP