The alliance’s warning of a protracted war comes as Russia intensifies its assault on eastern Ukraine.

By Zaheena Rasheed and Virginia Pietromarchi

Published On 19 Jun 202219 Jun 2022

  • NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warns that the war in Ukraine could drag on for years and calls for the supply of more state-of-the-art weaponry to Ukrainian troops.
  • TASS news agency says two top Ukrainian commanders who defended Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant have been transferred to Russia for investigations.
  • Luhansk’s Governor Serhiy Haidai says he is preparing “for the worst” as Russian forces intensify their assault on eastern cities.
  • Russia says its offensive against Severodonetsk was proceeding successfully after it took control of Metyolkine, a district on the eastern outskirts of the city.
  • Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits the front lines in Mykolaiv and Odesa, declares Ukrainian troops “will definitely” win against Russia.