Ukraine said on Saturday it had recaptured a swathe of the battlefield city of Severodonetsk, where intense fighting continued, in a rare counter-offensive against Russia’s main assault force that had been steadily advancing in the east.
The Ukrainian claim could not be independently verified and Moscow said its own forces were making gains there. But it was the first time Kyiv has claimed to have launched a big counter-attack in Severodonetsk after days of yielding ground there.
Severodonetsk Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk said street fighting continued during the day on Saturday, with both sides exchanging artillery fire.
“The situation is tense, complicated. … Our military is doing everything it can to drive the enemy out of the city,” he told national television, saying there was a shortage of food, fuel and medicine.