Ukraine continues to resist surrender in Severodonetsk, the Ukrainian stronghold in the Lugansk region. Russian forces pressured Ukrainian troops to fall back toward the city’s outskirts, but Kyiv remains defiant about holding the line.
“No one will surrender Severodonetsk,” stated Serhiy Gaidai, head of the Lugansk Military Administration, via his Telegram updates. The impression on the ground is that Russian troops have gained control of parts of the city, yet Ukrainian defenders maintain a counterflow toward the river and the town of Lisichansk, positioned near the Donetsk border.
Gaidai acknowledged that Kyiv’s forces may need to withdraw to fortified positions for strategic reasons, but he stressed that admitting a full surrender would amount to conceding Kyiv’s capital and surrendering the eastern bastion to Russia. Presently, Ukrainian units hold the suburbs of Severodonetsk, and fighting persists. It cannot be said that Russians have entirely seized the city.
The governor reiterated that Ukrainian forces had repelled eleven enemy assaults in and around Severodonetsk. He noted a failed Russian advance toward Toshkivka and insisted that the Russians have not achieved a complete encirclement of Ukrainian detachments; the situation remains controllable for now.
The Ukrainian General Staff highlighted the ongoing resistance at Severodonetsk and in its outskirts, while President Volodymyr Zelensky described the defense as heroic. Gaidai outlined Russia’s continued attempts to cross the Seversky Donets River to establish a bridgehead for a broader Donetsk offensive. The forecast remains that the battles will be bloody as Moscow commits resources to its objectives, including securing Severodonetsk and the main highway in the area.
Gaidai noted with some relief that the Russians have not yet gained control of the road linking Lisichansk with Sloviansk, a route critical to connecting Donetsk’s fortified frontline with other Ukrainian-held areas. This corridor, along with nearby Kramatorsk, forms a defensive arc to impede advances in the region.
Russia seizes Severodonetsk airport
Pro-Russian sources claim Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from Severodonetsk airport, retreating into nearby forests for safety. One analyst, Rodion Miroshnik, representative of the Lugansk People’s Republic in Russia, argued the conflict is now centered on Severodonetsk’s outskirts. He asserted that Ukrainian forces now control only a small portion of the country and that the broader picture remains contested on the ground.
Reports from both Russian and pro-Russian channels describe significant Ukrainian losses in the Donbas over recent days, with measurements indicating hundreds of Ukrainian personnel, multiple tanks and armored vehicles, and various artillery systems were taken out of action in clashes around Sviatohirsk and adjacent fronts. A Russian military spokesman provided these tallies as the conflict continued to unfold.
Since the broader invasion began on February 24, observers have noted that casualties have become a grim regularity, with several regional voices remarking on the high cost paid by Ukrainian defenders as the war persists in the country’s east and south.
Counter-attacks
Meanwhile, Western intelligence has reported that Ukrainian forces mounted a counteroffensive in the southwest of the Kherson region, which has been under Russian control. The Ukrainian side reportedly strengthened positions on the eastern bank of the Inhulets River, a tributary of the Dnieper that runs between Kherson and Mykolaiv, seeking to reclaim ground and pressure supply routes.
Defensive measures around the regional capital have involved Russian artillery placements and the deployment of missiles, with analysts noting that several kilometers from Kherson’s administrative border lie key strategic pockets on the annexed Crimean peninsula. The southern region and Zaporizhzhia have seen intensified activity as both sides recalibrate their lines and objectives.
Ukrainian military sources pointed to intensified bombardments on Mykolaiv’s outskirts, as Russian forces sought to degrade Ukrainian command and logistics near the city, while continuing to press in other nearby fronts.
Warning to EU
President Volodymyr Zelensky has reiterated that Ukraine has completed all necessary steps to obtain candidate status for European Union membership. The decision, he noted, rests in the hands of EU member states, who are scheduled to deliberate at the next major gathering. He urged unity and patience, underscoring that a historic vote could be taken in June.
“Everyone is working toward a decisive step,” the president said, emphasizing that the final call lies with European institutions and the member nations themselves. Kyiv believes it could secure candidate status within the month at the European Union summit scheduled for late June.
In this vein, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba cautioned that Kyiv will not accept substitutions or alternatives to candidate status, rejecting proposals to form a new organization that would replace the path toward EU membership.