Zelensky defiant as Russia intensifies attacks on eastern cities

KYIV: Ukraine acknowledged difficulties in fighting in the east of the country as Russian forces captured territory and intensified pressure on two key cities ahead of an EU summit this week expected to welcome Kyiv's bid to join the bloc.

The governor of the Luhansk region, scene of the heaviest Russian onslaughts in recent weeks, said the situation was "extremely difficult" along the entire front line as of Monday evening and the Russian army had gathered sufficient reserves to begin a large-scale offensive.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had predicted Moscow would escalate attacks ahead of the EU summit on Thursday and Friday. In his regular address to the nation on Monday evening, he was defiant, while also referring to "difficult" fighting in Luhansk for Sievierodonetsk and its sister city Lysychansk.

"We are defending Lysychansk,



Sievierodonetsk, this whole area, the most difficult one. We have the most difficult fighting there," he said. "But we have our strong guys and girls there."

Luhansk governor Serhiy Gaidai said Russian forces controlled most of Sievierodonetsk, apart from the Azot chemical plant, where hundreds of civilians have been sheltering for weeks. The road connecting 

Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk to the city of Bakhmut was under constant shell fire, he added.

"Lysychansk has been suffering from massive Russian shelling all day. It is impossible to establish the number of casualties as of yet," Gaidai said.

Rodion Miroshnik, ambassador of the self-styled Luhansk People's Republic to Russia, said its forces were "moving from the south towards Lysychansk" with firefights erupting in a number of nearby towns.