Moscow, Dec. 12 -- Russia has claimed it has taken full control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Seversk in the Donetsk region.

The city, which has been heavily damaged after months of intense fighting, remains a strategic issue for both armies.

According to Russian state media outlet Sputnik, General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov informed President Vladimir Putin that Russian forces had seized Seversk. The city is considered critical for Moscow's efforts to secure complete control over the border areas of the self-declared Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics.

Seversk has long been a target in Russia's campaign to capture the remainder of Donetsk region.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from United News of Indi...