Severodonetsk became the epicenter of the war against Russia. Putin must quickly take the city to allay internal criticism and Kyiv does not want to return to the 2014 Donbass. Time will be decisive

Severodonetsk has become the epicenter of Ukrainian defense against Russia. Moscow is sending the best assets to the area and continuously shelling the area with artillery. Objective: to conquer the area as soon as possible in order to formalize almost total control of the Donbass as in 2014. For Putin, achieving this result is essential, especially for internal use. The president is caught between two fires at home and needs to bring home a concrete result to cool the minds. On the one hand, there are those who criticize the violence and crimes that characterized the invasion of the neighboring country. On the other hand, some political leaders consider his actions too “weak”. On the other hand, Kyiv has two “weapons” to counter the Russian advance: military aid arriving from the West and the shortage of junior officers, which could make Moscow’s troops commit fatal mistakes. The situation, however, remains critical and time will likely decide the outcome.