Russian forces have tightened their grip on a strategic industrial city in Ukraine as part of their efforts to take control of the eastern Donbass region, while Washington continues to provide "generous" military assistance to the Ukrainian army to counter Moscow's operations.
According to Reuters, Russia has targeted railway lines used to transport weapons from Kiev's Western allies as the war approaches its 100th day on Friday.
Russia accused the United States of pouring "oil on fire" after President Joe Biden announced a $700 million arms package to Kiev that would include sophisticated missile systems with a range of up to 80 kilometers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a forum in Slovakia on Thursday that Kiev was grateful for the military assistance it had received but added that "the supply of weapons must be increased... to push the war to a turning point."
The Biden administration has confirmed that Ukraine has pledged not to use missile systems to strike targets inside Russia, and Biden hopes expanding Ukrainian artillery will help push Russia to negotiate an end to the war that has killed thousands, flattened cities and towns and forced more than six million people to flee the country.
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"Ukraine needs weapons to liberate Ukrainian territory temporarily occupied by Russia," said Andrei Yermak, chief of staff of the Ukrainian presidency, ignoring Moscow's criticism of the U.S. decision. We are not fighting on Russian soil, we are interested in our sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Moscow has said it considers Ukraine's infrastructure used to bring western weapons a legitimate target as part of operations it says seeks to disarm Ukraine and rid it of what it describes as extremist nationalists.
"Supplying Ukraine with (Western) weapons does not change all the criteria for the special operation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that it would bring more suffering to Ukraine.
Lviv Governor Maxim Kozitsky said four Russian missiles hit railway infrastructure targets in two places in the western region of the country on the Polish border late Wednesday evening, injuring five people and causing serious damage.
Zelensky told the Luxembourg parliament via video link on Thursday that Russian troops currently occupy about 20 percent of ukraine's total territory and that the front lines now extend more than 1,000 kilometers.
On Thursday, the British Ministry of Defence said in a daily update that Russian forces, backed by heavy artillery, had taken control of most of the city of Severodonitsk -- which was largely in ruins -- after days of heavy fighting.
"The enemy is carrying out offensive operations in Severodonitsk," the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Thursday, adding that Russian forces are also attacking other areas in the east and northeast of the country.
Other officials said at least four civilians were killed and 10 injured in eastern and northeastern Ukraine, while Russia denies targeting civilians.
If Russia takes full control of Severodonitsk and Lisicansk on the west bank of the Seversky Donetsk River, it will have taken control of Lugansk, one of two areas in Donbass.
Ukrainian General Oleksiy Gromov said in a press release that Russian forces were trying to attack the village of Prestov, which is located on a main road linking Lisicansk -- which is also under Russian bombardment -- with the rest of the country.
The Governor of Donetsk, Pavlo Kirilenko, noted that Russian forces were trying to advance south towards Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, two major cities in Ukraine-controlled Donetsk province.