The precision of the strike suggested Ukrainian forces used U.S-supplied multiple-launch High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, to hit the area.

The Russian passport move appears to be part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strategy, which could also involve annexation of territory into the Russian Federation.

Yuliia Paievska, who was able to get video from Mariupol to journalists before she was captured, says she constantly thinks about the prisoners she left behind when she was traded.

The complete seizure of Luhansk would provide Russian troops with a stronger base from which to press their advance in the Donbas.