Russian forces have been battling to take control of the key city of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine. It is one of the last remaining Ukrainian strongholds in the Donbas region.

Ukrainian commanders just across the river in Lysychansk have been trying to inflict as many losses as they can. However, repeated barrages of artillery have sent them scrambling. The two sides are fighting over neighborhoods leveled by weeks of bombardment.

Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk, said Ukrainian forces need more equipment. He said the military could recapture the city in two to three days. The only thing they lack is the Western long-range artillery.

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov agreed. He said the troops need more heavy weapons. He added that Ukrainians can't afford to be losing their sons and daughters.

Three foreign fighters who went into combat alongside Ukrainian forces were captured by Russian troops. A pro-Russian court has found the men -- two Britons and a Moroccan -- guilty of "mercenary activities." The court sentenced them to death by firing squad.

One of the fighters is a British citizen named Aiden Aslin. He said he had hoped the sentence would be fairer because he helped the investigation and because he surrendered to the Donetsk People's Republic.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called the ruling a "sham judgment" with "no legitimacy."