Ukrainian troops recapture 20% of Severodonetsk, local governor claims

Kyiv, Jun 4 (EFE).- Ukrainian soldiers have pushed Russian troops back in the contested city of Severodonetsk in the country’s east, the regional military chief of the Luhansk region Serhiy Haidai claimed Saturday.

The Ukrainian army recaptured around 20% of the city, half of which remains under the control of Russian forces, Haidai said on his Facebook page, although the claims were not independently verified.

Severodonetsk is a key target in Moscow’s bid to seize control of the Donbas region, a cultural term that refers to Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

“The Russians cannot take the region in two weeks, as British intelligence predicted,” Haidai said, adding that the Russian military had suffered considerable losses. EFE

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