Fierce fighting for Ukraine’s strategic city of Severodonetsk rages on as Russian artillery levels infrastructure and massacres civilians. The city has become the keystone in a Russian strategy to control the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine.

Mixed reports and a paucity of independent observers obfuscate the current situation in Sievierodonetsk. On June 6, President Zelensky declared, “Our heroes do not give up positions in Severodonetsk. In the city, fierce street fighting continues.” The same night, the daily Ukrainian military announcement revealed that two civilians were killed by Russian artillery in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, a statement unverified by independent sources. President Zelensky has described the control of Donbas as “decided” by the battle for Sievierodonetsk, positioned on the bank of the Donets River and an economic, political, and strategic target for Russian interests.

While Russian artillery bears a significant advantage over Ukrainian firepower, commander Petro Kusyk, commander of Ukraine’s Svoboda National Guard Battalion, stated that Ukrainians were drawing Russian forces into bloody street fighting to neutralize their artillery advantage.

Reuters asserts that Ukrainians suffer from significant arms disadvantages. Ukrainian officials have urged for increased foreign arms shipments to aid the war effort. Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s deputy head of military intelligence, claimed in an interview with the Guardian that “[e]verything now depends on what (the West) gives us. Ukraine has one artillery piece to 10 to 15 Russian artillery pieces.”

On June 11, the situation intensified when Russian artillery battered the Azot chemical plant that allegedly shelters hundreds of Ukrainian civilians in Sievierodonetsk. The shelling caused an oil leakage to ignite into an unconfirmed fire. Although Ukraine claims that 200 employees and 600 Severodonetsk residents are seeking refuge beneath the plant, Russia-backed separatist forces claim that the plant also shelters 300 to 400 Ukrainian troops. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, after initial inroads, has largely ground to a halt. However, bloody fighting continues to engulf eastern Ukraine as Russian troops attempt to secure the eastern region of Donbas. Ukraine’s defense was aided by foreign allies who are now essential to their war effort. A U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War report revealed that Ukrainian forces are rapidly depleting their Soviet-era stocks of weapons and munitions, creating a strict dependence upon ever-expanding Western military aid. Specifically, Ukrainian pleas are targeted at their largest donor, the United States.

As of May 20, the United States has released a total of $54 billion in total aid since the Russian invasion, $12.5 of which was dedicated towards weapons and other military supplies. Over the past decade, the $31.4 billion in non-military aid granted to Ukraine dwarfs U.S. aid packages. Additionally, the total aid granted by the United States is three times the amount contributed by the entire European Union, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, yet ranks fourth in terms of aid as a share of GDP.