Ukrainian troops withdrew from Siversk, a strategically significant town that had helped Kyiv slow the Russian advance.
The capture eases Moscow’s advance to the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, part of Ukraine’s industrial belt. Meanwhile Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had launched a “massive” overnight bombardment targeting his country’s energy infrastructure, prompting power cuts as winter temperatures plummet. The attacks, which killed at least three people, reportedly involved as many as 600 drones.
Attempts at a ceasefire have stalled in recent weeks, with recent US intelligence reports warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aim of capturing all of Ukraine and even other parts of Europe that belonged to the Soviet Union remains unchanged despite Western sanctions.