The Ukrainian military has reported advances during its counteroffensive in the south and continuing efforts to hold off Russian advances in the eastern Donbas region.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported Monday additional Russian efforts to degrade Ukrainian defenses in Luhansk and Donetsk, saying that 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 reported as destroyed, continues — with the General Staff saying that hostilities persist in and around the city.
As the Russians attack Ukrainian lines in Donbas from the south, east and north, there are conflicting claims about their progress.
The General Staff said that fighting continues around the village of Komyshuvakha, to the southwest of Severodonetsk. Social media video geolocated by CNN appears to show a Chechen unit in the village, with drone footage suggesting Ukrainian soldiers retreating from the area. A Chechen commander says: “This locality is now under our control, and we will begin storming all fronts. We have seized, completely, you could say, Komyshuvakha.”
Ukraine has claimed some success in its offensive in the south, which began during the weekend. The General Staff said, “the enemy suffered losses and withdrew from the village of Mykolaivka, Kherson region, which led to panic among servicemen of other units of the armed forces of the Russian Federation.”
If Russian forces have withdrawn from Mykolaivka, it would represent a gain of several kilometers for Ukrainian units.
The General Staff reported continued further cross-border shelling of settlements in the northern regions of Chernihiv and Sumy, as well as shelling of territory north of the city of Kharkiv which has recently been retaken by Ukrainian forces.
Serhiy Hayday, the head of the Luhansk region military administration, said late Monday that while all parts of 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 through territory from the outskirts of the city, where the Myr hotel is, and move a little deeper into the city. In the city now, there are and will be street battles.”
CNN’s Kostan Nechyporenko contributed reporting to this post.