Inside the heavily shelled city of Sievierodonetsk, one of the last Ukrainian-held corners of the Donbas

Sievierodonetsk is among the last remaining Ukrainian strongholds in Luhansk, and a key centre in the eastern Donbas region. At least 95 per cent of Luhansk is already under Russian control. Moscow-backed troops are also gaining ground in Donetsk, the other major eastern oblast, declaring victory over the town of Lyman.

More than 60 per cent of the buildings in Sievierodonetsk have been destroyed or damaged, Serhii Haidai, the head of the Luhansk Military Administration, said Friday. Its electrical, natural gas and water infrastructure lies in ruins. Phone and internet connections have been severed for more than two weeks.

The Russian offensive on Sievierodonetsk marks the latest manifestation of the Kremlin’s new war on Ukraine. After the failed blitzkrieg attempt to topple the country’s government, followed by the humiliating retreat from Kyiv and Kharkiv, Russian forces have regrouped for a concerted effort to seize Donbas, the Russian-speaking region in east Ukraine that is rich in coal that Moscow covets.

But Russia has attacked with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of munitions, using artillery and bombardment to accomplish slowly and with great destruction what it could not do quickly at the outset of the invasion. Its new approach yielded it control of Mariupol – at the cost of at least civilian 20,000 lives – and now appears set to win it Sievierodonetsk.

Sievierodonetsk was built as a chemical centre, producing vast volumes of nitrogen fertilizer. Though its Soviet architecture did little to lend it beauty, its green parks and familiar spaces made it home for Mr. Shevchuk. He fled to Bakhmut, a place that has been a haven for people fleeing harder-hit cities. Many come first to the dormitory at the local arts college, where Anna Dubovaya spent Friday morning ironing sheets to prepare for new arrivals. She said at least two people have walked from Popasna, a town more than 30 kilometres away that has been mostly razed. Some fled by tractor.

Brainwashed Canadians don't care about Ukrainians. They just want to stick it to Putin and they will sacrifice Ukrainians to do that. Why isn't the Globe and its fans screaming for surrender or at least negotiations?

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