LYSYCHANSK, May 28(ABC): Russian troops were approaching the strategic city of Severodonetsk on Friday in a relentless offensive to control Ukraine s eastern Donbas region, as the war triggered a historic schism between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its Russian patriarchate.
Pro-Russian separatists said they had captured the town of Lyman between Severodonetsk and Kramatorsk, on the road leading to the key cities still under Kyiv s control.
Russian forces were also closing in on Severodonetsk and Lysychansk in the Lugansk province, with conflicting reports about the extent of their advance.
To further help Ukraine fight back against the invasion, Washington was preparing to send advanced long-range rocket systems, according to US media reports.
Mykhaylo Podolyak, an advisor of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, referring to the rocket systems, said on Twitter that some of the country s partners “avoid giving the necessary weapons because of fear of the escalation. Escalation, really?”
Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby would not confirm the plans to deliver the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) to Ukraine.
“We are still committed to helping them succeed on the battlefield,” he said.