Russian forces push Ukrainians out of key eastern city

Ukraine said Monday its forces have been pushed out of the center of Sievierodonetsk, the epicenter of fighting in the eastern Donbas region.

The Russian invaders’ artillery gave them a significant advantage as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his troops continue to fight for “literally every meter” of the strategically important city, according to the BBC.

The Russians destroyed multiple bridges to the city, which will be cut off completely if a final bridge is taken out.

Russian efforts to take the city and nearby Lysychansk are viewed as pivotal in the course of the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin characterizes the invasion as an effort to liberate the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

Mr. Zelenskyy has called on the West to provide more advanced weapons systems as his forces are outgunned.