Headline Roundup • June 13th, 2022
Russia Ramps Up Attacks on Key Ukrainian City
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Russian and Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine are locked in intense fighting as Russia moves to take over key cities.
Russian forces reportedly destroyed bridges connecting the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk to another city across the river, cutting off possible evacuation routes for civilians. Sievierodonetsk and nearby Lysychansk are the focus of intense fighting in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described his invasion of Ukraine as an effort to "liberate" the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, which make up the Donbas.
Russian artillery also appears to be targeting an industrial zone in the city, where roughly 500 civilians are sheltering. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that his forces in Sievierodonetsk were fighting "literally for every meter." The latest report from the U.K. Ministry of Defense said that river crossing operations in the area would likely be crucial in determining the war's outcome.
News outlets across the political spectrum highlighted Russia's assault on Sievierodonetsk Monday morning, with many focusing on how the destroyed bridges could prevent civilians from evacuating. Outlets on all sides framed the battle for Sievierodonetsk as potentially pivotal in the conflict.
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REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Russian forces have blown up a bridge linking the embattled Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk to another city across the river, cutting off a possible evacuation route for civilians, local officials said on Sunday.
Sievierodonetsk has become the epicenter of the battle for control over Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. Parts of the city have been pulverized in some of the bloodiest fighting since the Kremlin unleashed its invasion on Feb. 24.
"The key tactical goal of the occupiers has not changed: they are pressing in Sievierodonetsk, severe fighting is ongoing there...
Reuters
Russian artillery is hitting an industrial zone where 500 civilians are sheltering in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, the regional governor has said, and a bridge out of the city has been blown up, as fears grow for those who have not yet managed to leave.
“Russians continue to storm the city, having a significant advantage in artillery they have somewhat pushed back the Ukrainian soldiers,” said Serhiy Haidai, governor of the Luhansk region, in a morning report on his Telegram channel. “The Russians are destroying quarter after quarter,”...
AP Photo/Francisco Seco
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...
