‘It’s just hell there’: Russia still pounds eastern Ukraine

By JOHN LEICESTER and DAVID KEYTON
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s military machine is persevering in its ferocious effort to grind down Ukraine’s defenses. Combat in eastern areas of Ukraine reportedly is entering a decisive phase. Ukraine’s deputy defense minister said the Kremlin had ordered its military to overrun the entire eastern Luhansk region by next Sunday. In that region, which in recent weeks has become the focal point of Moscow’s attempt to impose its will on its neighbor, battles are raging for the control of multiple villages. The war’s consequences for food and fuel supplies are increasingly weighing on minds around the globe after warnings that the fighting could go on for years.