KYIV, Ukraine—Russian forces made fresh gains in fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region Friday, engaging in street battles in the city of Severodonetsk, as Moscow brought to bear its advantage in firepower on outgunned Ukrainian defenders.
Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from Lyman, the latest Donbas city to fall to Russian forces in the region in recent days, Ukrainian officials said. The Russian advances, if they continue, could encircle a large grouping of Ukrainian forces fighting in the easternmost part of Ukrainian-administered Donbas, resulting in a major defeat for Kyiv.