The Russian military has taken over Severodonetsk, a city in east Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials cited by CNN. The news had been expected after weeks of relentless fighting that left the area in ruin. Ukraine’s chief of defense intelligence told Reuters that the country's forces were “regrouping” and shifting to “higher ground across the river.” Now in its fifth month, the war in Ukraine has left at least 4,000 civilians dead and resulted in an estimatedhundreds of billions of dollars in damage. Still, Ukraine’s military has fared far better than previously expected. Russia, which initially seemed to be angling for a complete takeover over the country, has downgraded its priorities to areas in the south and east.