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KYIV, Ukraine – Russian forces fired cruise missiles to destroy a large warehouse containing US and European weapons in the Ternopil region of western Ukraine, Interfax reported on Sunday as street battles raged in the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk. The governor of the Ternopil region said a rocket attack on the Black Sea city of Chortkiv had partially destroyed a military installation, injuring 22 people. A local official said there were no weapons stored there. Reuters could not independently confirm the different accounts. Moscow has repeatedly criticized the United States and other nations for supplying arms to Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month that Russia would hit new targets if the West supplied longer-range missiles to Ukraine for use in high-precision mobile missile systems. Ukrainian leaders have again called on Western countries in recent days to speed up heavy weapons deliveries as Russian forces pound the east of the country with artillery. Sievierodonetsk has become the focus of the battle for control of the industrialized Donbas region to the east, which consists of the Luhansk and Donetsk provinces. Parts of the city have been pulverized in some of the bloodiest battles since Moscow launched its invasion on February 24. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai said on Sunday that Ukrainian and Russian forces were still fighting side by side in Sivierodonetsk. He said that while Russian forces had occupied most of the city, Ukrainian troops were still controlling an industrial area and a chemical plant where hundreds of civilians were taking refuge. After being forced to limit its initial campaign goals, Moscow turned to expanding control of Donbass, where pro-Russian separatists have held part of territory since 2014. Ukraine said about 800 people were hiding in bomb shelters under the Azot plant, including officials and residents of the city. “No one can say for sure how many people have been killed in the last 24 hours in Sivierodonetsk, where heavy fighting continues,” Gaidai told the Telegram on Sunday. “Everyone wants to evacuate now, probably, but so far there is no such possibility.” In Lysychansk – Sievierodonetsk’s twin city across the Donets River – a woman was killed by Russian bombardment while four houses and a shopping mall were destroyed, Gaidai said. In the south and southwest of Sivierodonetsk, Russian forces fired mortars and artillery around a number of settlements, according to a daily report by the General Staff of Ukraine. However, he said Ukrainian forces had repulsed Russian efforts to reach out to certain communities. Reuters could not independently verify the reports on the battlefield.

Ukraine is resilient, it needs support

Ukrainian forces have proved more resilient than expected, but the US-based Institute for War Studies said that as they use their latest stockpiles of Soviet-era weapons and ammunition, they will need consistent Western support. An Interfax report on Sunday reported that Russian forces had used Kalibr cruise missiles to attack the large warehouse. He also said that Russian forces had shot down three Ukrainian SU-25 fighter jets near Donetsk and Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine. Russian authorities have begun issuing Russian passports in two occupied Ukrainian cities – Kherson and Melitopol -, Russian news agencies reported. It was not known how many were distributed. Putin called the invasion a “special military operation” to disarm and “disarmament” Ukraine. Kyiv and its allies call it an unprovoked offensive to seize territory. Ukraine sought to deepen its ties with the West as a result of the war. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday that the European Union’s executive branch’s opinion on Ukraine’s application for EU membership would be ready next week. All 27 EU governments will have to agree to grant Ukraine candidate status, after which there will be extensive talks on the reforms needed before the country can be considered for membership. ×

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Natalia Zinets and Max Hunter