Smoke rises in the city of Severodonetsk during heavy clashes between Ukrainian and Russian troops in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine on May 30. (Aris Messinis / AFP / Getty Images)
The Ukrainian army has reported progress during its counter-offensive in the south and continued efforts to curb Russian advances in the eastern Donbas region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff on Monday reported additional Russian efforts to degrade Ukrainian defenses in Luhansk and Donetsk, saying artillery, airstrikes and missiles had been used in several places, including Lysychansk and Soledar.
Russian pressure on Severodonetsk, a city where two-thirds of properties have been reportedly destroyed, continues with the General Staff saying hostilities persist in and around the city.
When the Russians attack Ukrainian lines in the Donbass from the south, east and north, there are conflicting claims about their progress.
The staff said fighting continued around the village of Komyshuvakha, southwest of Severodonetsk. The video on social media geolocated by CNN appears to show a Chechen unit in the village, with images of drones suggesting Ukrainian soldiers withdrawing from the area. A Chechen commander says, “This locality is now under our control, and we will begin to assault all fronts. We have completely seized, so to speak, Komyshuvakha.”
Ukraine has achieved some success in its offensive in the south, which began over the weekend. The General Staff said that “the enemy suffered casualties and withdrew from the village of Mykolaivka in the Kherson region, which caused panic among the military of other units of the armed forces of the Federation. Russian “.
If Russian forces withdrew from Mykolaivka, it would mean a gain of several kilometers for Ukrainian units.
The General Staff reported the resumption of cross-border bombing of settlements in the northern regions of Chernihiv and Sumy, as well as the bombing of the territory north of the city of Kharkiv, which has recently been recaptured by Ukrainian forces.
Serhiy Hayday, the head of the Luhansk region’s military administration, said on Monday afternoon that although all parts of the Luhansk region still under Ukrainian control are being attacked, “the situation in Severodonetsk is really the most difficult “.
The official noted that Russian forces had been able to “push the territory from the outskirts of the city, where the Myr Hotel is located, and get a little deeper into the city. In the city now, there is and there will be street fights “.
CNN’s Kostan Nechyporenko contributed to this post.