Day after day, Russia is pounding the Donbas region of Ukraine with relentless artillery and air raids, making slow but steady progress in seizing the industrial heartland of its neighbor.

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

Suppose Russia prevails in the battle of Donbas. In that case, it will mean that Ukraine loses not only land but perhaps the bulk of its most capable military forces, opening the way for Moscow to grab more territory and dictate its terms to Kyiv. A Russian failure could lay the grounds for a Ukrainian counteroffensive — and possibly lead to political upheaval for the Kremlin.

Following botched early attempts in the invasion to capture Kyiv and the second-largest city of Kharkiv without proper planning and coordination, Russia turned its attention to the Donbas, a region of mines and factories where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014.

Learning from its earlier missteps, Russia is treading more carefully there, relying on longer-range bombardments to soften Ukrainian defenses.

It seems to be working: The better-equipped Russian forces have made gains in both the Luhansk and Donetsk regions that make up the Donbas, controlling over 95% of the former and about half of the latter.

Ukraine is losing between 100 and 200 soldiers a day, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told the BBC, as Russia has “thrown pretty much everything non-nuclear at the front.” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier put the daily death toll at up to 100.

When the war was going badly for Russia, many thought President Vladimir Putin might claim victory after some gains in Donbas and then exit a conflict that had seriously bruised the economy and stretched its resources. But the Kremlin has made clear it expects Ukraine to recognize all the gains Russia has made since the start of the invasion — something Kyiv has ruled out.

Russian forces control the entire Sea of Azov coast, including the strategic port of Mariupol, the Kherson region — a key gateway to Crimea — and a large chunk of the Zaporizhzhia region, which could aid a further push deeper into Ukraine. Few expect that Putin will stop.

Russia has a clear edge in artillery in the battle for Donbas, thanks to a more significant number of heavy howitzers, rocket launchers, and abundant ammunition. The Ukrainians have had to be economical in using their artillery, with the Russians constantly targeting their supply lines.

Moscow's earlier territorial gains in the south, including the Kherson region and a large part of the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region, have prompted Russian officials and their local appointees to ponder plans to fold those areas into Russia or declare them to be independent, like the so-called “people's republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Ukrainian officials and Western analysts voiced concern that Moscow could try to press its offensive into the heavily populated and industrialized Dnipro region farther north, an advance that could potentially slice Ukraine in two and raise a new threat for Kyiv.

Such ambitions all hinge on Moscow's success in the east. A defeat in the Donbas would put Kyiv in a precarious position, with new recruits lacking the skills of battle-hardened soldiers now fighting in the east and supplies of Western weapons insufficient to fend off a potentially deeper Russian push.

Ukrainian officials brushed off such fears, voicing confidence that its military can hold out to stem the Russian advances and even launch a counterattack.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.

Outside Ukraine, there is a raging war of information as Russian propaganda inspires pro-Russian protests in European countries.

Counteracting Russian disinformation is a priority for governments, and it's something the UK has been praised for arranging.

Its Ministry of Defense, or MOD, has been releasing regular intelligence updates used by independent military experts, journalists and analysts to decipher the truth about what's happening on the ground.

"Prior to the invasion, I had no idea whether the information is being released by the West is true or not. But it's turned out that it is true and that's given me a lot more confidence in the information that's now being released," said Sadakat Kadri, a London resident. 

This is a war being fought on two fronts, both on the ground in Ukraine, and outside of Ukraine in information. 

When it comes to counteracting Russian propaganda, the British government has been praised even by those who were once critical of the Ministry of Defense.

"I've been hugely critical of the MOD in the past about being useless at this sort of thing and hopeless at PR, but I think that that they're beginning to crack it," Stuart Crawford said.

Crawford is a military expert and former lieutenant colonel in the British army.

"Russia has tried to interfere in... various other elections around the world, so, I think it's very important that in many ways that the UK and... anybody in government try to keep the moral high ground," Crawford said.

In Russia, the BBC is broadcasting on shortwave radio after the government donated ₤5 million towards a special BBC World Service, as the Russian Federation pumps out falsehoods to its population. 

"They've become experts in disinformation across the internet," said Andrew Bridgen, a UK Parliament member. "They're well known for it. It's got a huge reach. That's how a lot of people receive their news and updates now, and it has to be countered. It's important that we play our part in doing that, getting the truth out to people. At the end of the day, the truth is the truth if no one believes it, and a lie is still a lie if everyone believes it."

Social media companies have scrambled to respond to Russian disinformation. On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reacted to Twitter restrictions on Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying all it was doing was telling the truth as countries and corporations rushed to respond to false claims and conspiracies.

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ARLINGTON, Va. — A substitute teacher is suspended after he reportedly expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the classroom.

The Washington Post reports that John Stanton was substitute teaching a Spanish class in Virginia on Friday when he said he backed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urged students to read Russian state propaganda outlets.

Stanton said he was offering students an opposing viewpoint, by telling them to read Sputnik News, which has been declared a “state-run propaganda machine” by the FBI, CIA and NSA.

According to the Washington Post, Stanton said, “I think that got me was I said, ‘I personally support the logic of Putin,’ and what I meant by that is, he made a rational decision from his perception.”

Parents wrote an email to the Arlington Public School Board detailing what the substitute teacher said, and adding there was a Ukrainian student in the class.

A spokesperson for Arlington Public Schools has declined to comment on Stanton’s employment status, calling it a personnel matter.

Stanton said he doesn’t plan to petition for reinstatement.

Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin is being pulled from two sponsorship ads following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

TSN’s Rick Westhead and ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski first reported the news.

According to TSN, the Canadian ice hockey equipment brand CCM Hockey has stopped using Ovechkin and other Russian NHL players in all global marketing initiatives.

In an email to TSN, CCM Hockey said they decided to stop using Ovechkin, "Although Mr. Ovechkin is not responsible for the Russian government’s actions."

In years past, Ovechkin has supported Russian President Vladimir Putin, but on Friday, he stated that his country's invasion of Ukraine was a "hard situation," USA Today reported.

MassMutual has also pulled its ad that features Ovechkin.

According to ESPN, the ad, which features Ovechkin, his wife, Anastasia Shubskaya, and his Capitals teammate Nicklas Backstrom, began running in October, but it "is no longer on the air.”

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian civilians are fleeing after finding their lives at risk on the second day of Russia's invasion.

Yurii Zhyhanov woke to his mother's screaming and found himself covered in dust.

Shelling had struck their residential building on the outskirts of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.

"What are you doing? What is this?" Zhyhanov said, addressing Russia and gesturing to the damaged building behind him.

His weariness and shock reflected that of his country as people climbed out of bomb shelters, basements, and subways on Friday to face another day of upheaval.

Those who didn't wake to explosions were roused by another day of air raid sirens or the news that Russian troops were advancing toward the capital.

Russian military claims it's not targeting cities, saying that “there is no threat to the civilian population,” CNN and PBS reported.

But according to the Associated Press, fragments of a downed aircraft were found in a residential area.

A young girl in Mariupol told the AP that she didn't want to die and wished for the attack "to end as soon as possible.”

The urge to leave the country at an all-time high, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Friday that more than 50,000 refugees had fled Ukraine, with most of them going to Poland and Moldova.

The Associated Press reported that at a train station in Poland hundreds of Ukrainians sought shelter.

Speaking to his security council Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the Ukrainian military to take control of their country and overthrow president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Putin's televised address, laden with historical inaccuracies, comes a day after Moscow launched an invasion of Ukraine.

During the address, he told Ukraine's armed forces that it would be “easier for us" to agree with them than with “this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis that has settled in Kyiv and taken hostage the entire Ukrainian people."

Newsweek and Politico reported that Putin has frequently repeated the baseless claims that the Ukrainian government is a "Nazi" or "fascist" regime.

According to the news outlets, Zelenskyy is Jewish.

Putin went on to praise Russian troops for acting "courageously, professionally, heroically, fulfilling their military duty successfully and solving the most important task of ensuring the security of our people and our fatherland."

Putin's speech comes after the Kremlin said Russia had agreed to send a delegation to Belarus to talk with Ukrainian officials.

With the conflict entering its second day, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a tweet Friday morning that more than 50,000 Ukrainian refugees have fled the country, with most of them going to Poland and Moldova.

More than 50,000 Ukrainian refugees have fled their country in less than 48 hours — a majority to Poland and Moldova — and many more are moving towards its borders.

Heartfelt thanks to the governments and people of countries keeping their borders open and welcoming refugees.

— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) February 25, 2022

As tensions rise between Russia and Ukraine, concerns are growing for people who fear for family and friends in Ukraine.

Some are worried about how an invasion will impact their loved ones. A Maryland man whose father is from Ukraine told sister station WBAL how the Ukrainian community in the Baltimore area feels about the situation.

Greg Zilberman, the owner of Silk Road Bistro, said his concerns are growing about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, especially after President Joe Biden said he is convinced that Russia has decided to invade.

"It's definitely overwhelming to say the least. It's a very uneasy feeling that it brings upon the world. Russia invasion anywhere, any country invading anywhere, there is always the risk of world war," Zilberman said.

The thought of war has Zilberman concerned, like many others in Baltimore's Ukrainian community. His father is from Ukraine and Zilberman said he has a friend there now.

"I'm nervous for him. I'm nervous for everybody there. There's no way that something like this doesn't result in bloodshed, unfortunately," Zilberman said.

Zilberman said the entire situation is complicated and it has many in the Ukrainian community divided.

"Some of them are really big Putin supporters. 'Come on in, we're your people, this isn't an invasion.' The other half, 'Why are you coming into our country? Stay out. Russia isn't big enough?'" he said.

If Russia does invade, he said that many are worried about how it will happen and the impact it will have on people there.

"Are they going to peacefully cross the border? Are they going to kick people from their homes? What kind of temporary government is going to be established?" Zilberman said.

Zilberman said he is closely monitoring the situation every day. He thinks some type of military action is definitely possible, but overall, he is hoping and praying for the best.

"Obviously, a peaceful resolution will be ideal, but it's a conflict like all the others in the world. It's not so black and white, it's a gray area," he said.

Zilberman said the issue has been a hot-button topic for many Ukrainians that come to his restaurant. He said he is hoping things between both countries are solved peacefully.

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin says the U.S. and its allies have ignored Russia's top security demands.

In his first comments on the standoff with the West over Ukraine in more than a month, Putin said Tuesday that the Kremlin is still studying the U.S. and NATO's response to the Russian security demands received last week. But he said it was clear that the West has ignored the Russian demands that NATO not expand to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations, refrain from deploying offensive weapons near Russia and roll back its deployments to Eastern Europe.

Tensions have soared in recent weeks, and the United States and its NATO allies worry that the concentration of about 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine signals Moscow's intention to attack.

Russia denies having any such designs — and has laid out a series of demands it says will improve security in Europe, including a promise that NATO will not extend an invitation to Ukraine and a guarantee that the alliance will remove troops from Eastern Europe.

But the U.S. and the Western alliance have firmly rejected any concessions on Moscow's suggestions. Many of Russia's demands are nonstarters for NATO, creating a stalemate that many fear can only end in a war.

In the past, Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed frustration with the Soviet breakup of some countries, like Belarus and Ukraine. According to an Associated Press analysis, Putin sees those countries as part of a historic Russian linguistic and Orthodox motherland.

At a U.N. security council on Monday, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia's actions pose "a clear threat to international peace and security and the U.N. Charter." She added that council members "must squarely examine the facts and consider what is at stake for Ukraine, for Russia, for Europe."

Thomas-Greenfield said "they are attempting, without any factual basis, to paint Ukraine and Western countries as the aggressors to fabricate a pretext for attack."

Last week, the Pentagon ordered 8,500 troops on higher alert — marking a change to a more aggressive stance from the Biden White House. In addition, NATO allies have begun transporting military equipment toward Ukraine.

Ukraine has tried to urge its citizens to remain calm and thwart fears of a potential Russian invasion. However, the U.S. has already ordered some of those staying at its embassy in Kyiv to leave the country.