A series of clandestine, against-the-odds helicopter missions to reach besieged soldiers are being celebrated in Ukraine as one of the most heroic military feats in the 4-month war against Russia.

While the Russians can keep up heavy, continuous fire for hours at a time, the defenders can’t match the enemy in either weapons or ammunition and must use their ammo more judiciously.

A Ukrainian deputy defense minister says the Kremlin had ordered the Russian military to overrun the entire Luhansk region by next Sunday.

He urged his nation’s fighters to endure for the ‘future of your family, your children, and therefore the whole of Ukraine.’

About 12,000 people remain in Sievierodonetsk, from a pre-war population of 100,000.

With the conflict now in its 4th month, it’s a high-stakes campaign that could dictate the course of the entire war.