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Ukraine has pledged to do “everything” to defend Donbas, where an intensifying Russian offensive is prompting Kyiv’s forces to consider a strategic retreat from some key areas to avoid being surrounded. This comes as Pro-Russian separatists said Friday they had captured the town of Lyman between Severodonetsk and Kramatorsk. Meanwhile, in a historic move the Ukrainian orthodox church has declared independence from its Russian counterpart, listing the invasion as the main reason. Follow FRANCE 24’s live blog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
5:35am: Russian troops approach the strategic city of Severodonetsk on Friday
Ukraine has pledged to do “everything” to defend Donbas, where an intensifying Russian offensive is prompting Kyiv’s forces to consider a strategic retreat from some key areas to avoid being surrounded. Russia is waging all-out war for the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions that make up Donbas, the country’s industrial heartland, where Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of carrying out a “genocide”.
In his daily address to Ukrainians, Zelensky said the Russians had “concentrated maximum artillery, maximum reserves in Donbas.” “We are protecting our land in the way that our current defense resources allow,” he added. “We are doing everything to increase them.”
Pro-Russian separatists said Friday they had captured the town of Lyman between Severodonetsk and Kramatorsk, on the road leading to the key cities still under Kyiv’s control. Russian forces are also closing in on Severodonetsk and Lysychansk in the Lugansk province, with conflicting reports about the extent of their advance.
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