Russia on Tuesday, 7 June, continued its fierce artillery barrage against the pivotal city of Severodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine. As per the governor of Luhansk province, the city also witnessed airstrikes and street-by-street fighting, The Guardian reported.
Governor Serhiy Haidai was quoted as saying that "the situation constantly changes, but the Ukrainians are repelling attacks".
Following Ukrainian counter-offensive in the region, Russia troops are reportedly looking to destabilize final Ukrainian military strongholds in the industrial zone.
The city is still sheltering around 10,000-11,000 civilians.
Speaking on the situation in the neighboring city of Lysychansk, Haidai added, “Russian shelling has intensified significantly over the past 24 hours. They are using scorched-earth tactics," The Guardian reported.
Meanwhile, in an address on Monday, night President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated, "Our heroes do not give up positions in Severodonetsk. In the city, fierce street fighting continues," Reuters reported.
Why Severodonetsk is Significant for Russia
There are two main reasons why Russia is going after the town. The first one is that controlling Severodonetsk is important to control the Donbas region, especially the Luhansk region.
The town is located to the northeast of the left bank of a river called Siverskyi Donets and is just over 100 kilometres from the northwest of the capital administrator of Luhansk Oblast.
Analysts say that if Russia captures the two big cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, then it would not take them too long to have control over all of Luhansk.
Governor of Luhansk Oblast said that "the situation here is difficult because the Russian army has now thrown all [its] forces at capturing the Luhansk region," as reported by The Washington Post.
The other reason why Severodonetsk is being targeted by Russia concerns reputation.
The Russian military failed spectacularly in its attempts to control Kyiv, and it was even pushed back by Ukrainian troops in Kharkiv.
Putin desperately needs "a win", said Matthew Schmidt, associate professor of national security and political science at the University of New Haven, as reported by The Washington Post.
(With inputs from The Guardian, The Washington Post and Reuters.)
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