On 18 April, Russia renewed its offensive in Donbas, launching airstrikes into Sievierodonetsk.[27][28] That morning, Russian troops entered Kreminna,[29] as Ukrainian forces lost control amid heavy fighting.[30] Haidai claimed that more than 200 civilians were killed during the battle, with four additional civilians being killed and one more wounded as they attempted to escape the fighting.[31][32] During the fighting, a LPR battalion commander was killed when he and his fighters were surrounded by Ukrainian forces close to Kreminna and "fought to the last", according to the LPR.