Zelensky: Fierce Battle Rages for Control of Severodonetsk

The industrial city of Severodonetsk has become the definitive crucible of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, with President Volodymyr Zelensky describing the struggle as “one of the hardest” since the Russian invasion began on 24 February. As the scorched landscapes of the Donbas theatre witness a brutal war of attrition, Kyiv acknowledged on Wednesday that Russian forces now exercise control over a significant portion of the city, though the strategic industrial zones remain a bastion of Ukrainian resistance.

The Epicentre of the Donbas

Severodonetsk, along with its twin city Lysychansk, represents the final Ukrainian-held pocket in the Luhansk province. Following Russia’s failure to seize the capital, Kyiv, Moscow has pivoted its military might toward securing a vast swathe of the east.

President Zelensky, in his nightly address to the nation, was candid about the severity of the situation. “Severodonetsk remains the epicentre of the confrontation in the Donbas,” he remarked. “It is a very fierce battle, very difficult, probably one of the hardest in the course of this war.”

While the Governor of Luhansk, Sergiy Gaiday, conceded that Russian troops were pounding the city with artillery “24 hours a day,” he maintained that street fighting continues. He noted that while Moscow’s forces control the residential areas, the industrial district—specifically the Azot chemical plant—remains under Ukrainian control. Similar to the siege of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, approximately 800 civilians are reported to be sheltering in the plant’s subterranean bunkers.

Status Summary: The Battle for the Luhansk Pocket

A Global Crisis Accelerates

As the frontline narrows, the global repercussions are widening. UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a harrowing warning on Wednesday, stating that the war is threatening to unleash an “unprecedented wave of hunger and destitution.” He estimated that 1.6 billion people are likely to be affected by the systemic shocks to food security, energy, and finance.

The economic toll was further underscored by the World Bank, which slashed its global growth forecast to 2.9%—a significant drop from the 4.1% predicted in January. The bank cited the invasion as the primary driver of this stagnation, warning of a potential return to 1970s-style “stagflation.”

The Grain Export Impasse

In Ankara, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Turkish officials to discuss the possibility of creating a “grain corridor” to release millions of tonnes of wheat currently trapped in Ukrainian ports. While Russia expressed readiness to ensure safe passage for ships, Kyiv remains sceptical. The Ukrainian government has refused to demine the waters around the port of Odesa, fearing that doing so would invite a Russian amphibious assault on the city.

The diplomatic friction was palpable as Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu suggested that Russia’s demands for the lifting of Western sanctions—to facilitate its own agricultural exports—were “legitimate.” Kyiv, however, was not invited to the talks in Turkey and remains adamant that Russian aggression, not sanctions, is the sole architect of the looming global famine.

Humanitarian Despair

For the residents of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk, the high-level diplomacy offers little comfort. The destruction in these cities is described by officials as “enormous,” with hospitals and aid centres reportedly targeted by “chaotic” shelling. As the Ukrainian military weighs a potential tactical withdrawal to more defensible positions in Lysychansk, the civilians remaining behind face a desperate choice between fleeing through “corridors of fire” or remaining in the ruins of their homes.