Smoke rising from Sievierodonetsk
(Image credit: Photo by ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukrainian forces are withdrawing from the city of Sievierodonetsk, a regional official said Friday, bringing Russia one step closer to total control of Luhansk Oblast.

Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said the city's infrastructure had been "completely destroyed" and that it "makes no sense to stay," CNN reports. The city's mayor, Oleksandr Stryuk, said Saturday that Sievierodonetsk "is now under the full occupation of Russia."

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Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.