Ukrainians left with one way out of Sievierodonetsk, as fierce fighting rages

Kyiv: Ukrainian defenders were fighting fiercely for "every metre" of Sievierodonetsk, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, as Russian forces destroyed a bridge to another city across the river, leaving stranded civilians with just one way out.

Sievierodonetsk has become the epicentre of the wider battle for control over Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. Russian forces have taken most of Sievierodonetsk, having pulverized parts of the city in one of the bloodiest assaults 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 - literally for every metre," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on Sunday, adding that Russia's military was trying to deploy reserves in the Donbas.

Zelenskiy said the image of a 12-year-old wounded in a Russian strike was now the enduring worldwide face of Russia.

SOURCE: Reuters