Russia is carrying out a major offensive on the last Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk area. The local governor said Russian troops are “pouring fire” on the city of Lysychansk from the ground and air. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said Russian forces were attacking Lysychansk after recently capturing the neighboring city of Sievierodonetsk. The Russian offensive aims to capture the larger Donbas area from Ukrainian government control. Western experts say capturing the Donbas has become the new main goal of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine. The war has now lasted five months. “After the takeover of Sievierodonetsk, the enemy army has concentrated all its forces on capturing (our) last stronghold in the Luhansk region: Lysychansk,” Haidai told The Associated Press. Over the past week, the Russian army has captured several villages and towns southeast of Lysychansk. It is launching air strikes and artillery fire from those towns. The office of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least six civilians were killed and 31 others injured during Russian attacks on several cities in the past day. Kyiv and some cities in the south and east also came under attack.
