The eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk is under near-constant shelling by Russia, as ground forces attempt to take over a key area in the Donbas region. Severodonetsk is in the Luhansk province, and military officials say if Russia can capture the city, they will have control of Luhansk. Matthew Schmidt, associate professor of national security and political science at the University of New Haven, told The Washington Post that Russian forces are "bludgeoning their way through" Severodonetsk, and "just pounding Ukrainians with artillery."