Russian troops entering Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine

KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (AP) – The Russian-battered eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk appeared to be on the brink of becoming another Mariupol on Monday as services and aid have been cut and Moscow seeks to capture all of Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region.

Luhansk regional Gov. Serhiy Haidai said the Russians have entered the outskirts of Sievierodonetsk and are pushing toward nearby Lysychansk.

Russian forces stormed Sievierodonetsk after trying unsuccessfully to encircle it, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the situation there as “indescribably difficult.”

Sievierodonetsk has emerged in recent days as the epicenter of the Donbas fighting.