Russian forces were assaulting the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk on Saturday after saying they had captured the nearby rail hub of Lyman as Moscow pressed its offensive in the eastern Donbas.
Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk said at least 1,500 people have been killed in Severodonetsk and about 12,000 to 13,000 remain in the city, where he said 60 per cent of residential buildings have been destroyed. Meanwhile, it appears Russian troops have taken control of the Donetsk town of Lyman.
Vladimir Putin joined the KGB at age 23. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy got his early training in a no less Soviet institution–the world of competitive comedy. We update our 2019 episode about a high-stakes comedy competition in Ukraine.