Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Amid Severodonetsk setback, Kyiv says goal remains sovereignty over all its land

More than 100 days into the war, Ukrainian and Russian troops remain mired in heated combat for Severodonetsk, the Luhansk area’s largest city where Kyiv still retains some control. The city is central to Moscow’s goal of capturing Donbas, an area of eastern Ukraine that encompasses the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Here are some updates from across the country:

Severodonetsk: Russian forces have probably established control over most of Severodonetsk’s residential areas and conducted assaults against Ukrainian positions in the industrial zone in the past 24 hours, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank. The institute said the situation in the city “remains fluid.” The city’s mayor, Oleksandr Stryuk, said Tuesday that Ukrainian troops are holding their positions amid constant shelling, “doing their utmost to defend the city.” Russia claims to control 97 percent of the region where the city is located.

Elsewhere in Donbas: Images collected by U.S. satellite company Maxar Technologies show the destructive path of Russia’s invasion in Luhansk and Donetsk, as it has trained it attacks on the eastern provinces in recent weeks — with cratered fields and entire city blocks pulverized. In Rubizhne, just up the road from Severodonetsk, a set of before-and-after pictures show parts of the city reduced to rubble.

Zaporizhzhia: President Volodymyr Zelensky this week warned that Moscow is preparing to seize this major southeastern city that would give Russian troops better access to the center of Ukraine. Ukraine has appealed to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the U.N. secretary general to “liberate” the city’s nuclear power plant that has been held by Russian forces since March.

Kharkiv: A Russian airstrike has killed two people and injured six others in the Kharkiv region, Oleg Synegubov, the regional governor, said via Telegram on Tuesday.

Mariupol: The Russian military said Tuesday that the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk, which Moscow’s forces recently captured, have been demined and are ready to ship grain. Ukrainian officials have warned the bombed-out city’s destroyed water supply system, coupled with decomposing bodies and garbage littered across the streets, may be a breeding ground for cholera outbreaks.

Snake Island: British officials said that after the loss of the Russian warship Moskva in April, Moscow probably moved air defense assets — including SA-15 and SA-22 systems — to Snake Island in the western Black Sea to protect naval vessels in the area. Russia’s activities on the island are contributing to a maritime blockade and hindering Ukrainian trade, including grain exports, the officials added.

Mary Ilyushina and Kim Bellware contributed to this report.