Complete liberation of Severodonetsk possible, decision up to military command, says Luhansk regional governor

The head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration, Serhiy Hayday, believes that it is possible to drive the Russian occupiers out of Severodonetsk, but this decision must be made by the military command. On the air of UA:PBC, Hayday said that Severodonetsk is not of great strategic importance, while Lysychansk is more crucial.

"Here, the military command must make a decision, because it is possible to drive the Russians out of Severodonetsk. This task is within our power. The only thing — what will be the next step? They will withdraw and destroy everything using heavy artillery and aircraft," said the regional governor.

Hayday explained that in strategic terms, the city of Severodonetsk is not of great importance, but Lysychansk is, which is located higher and in a more favorable position — "dominating heights".

"But politically, Severodonetsk is a regional center. Its reclaming will raise our morale, strong enough, and demoralize the Russians after they said they were in complete control. And how can they control a city where the fighting is taking place? Just the day before yesterday, six prisoners were taken. What kind of control is this? We understand that they are just lying,"  Hayday stressed.

The head of the admin said that as of the morning of June 5, the situation remains difficult. According to Hayday Russian General Alexander Dvornikov was instructed to either capture Severodonetsk or cut the Lysychansk-Bakhmut route by June 10.

"In recent days, our defenders still managed to drive the Russians out in Severodonetsk, so the city is divided into two parts, but in half, not as it was before, at the same time the number of shellings has increased. They are destroying the entire territory controlled by the Ukrainians. Completely," Hayday said.

The situation in Severodonetsk

On June 2, the head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration, Serhiy Hayday, wrote that the city was holding on and had every chance of being liberated soon. According to him, the defenders are successfully conducting local operations, taking prisoners, have everything necessary to drive the occupiers from the regional center. Volodymyr Zelensky also mentioned "certain successes" of the Armed Forces.

On June 3, Oleksandr Stryuk, the head of the Severodonetsk city administration, told hromadske that Ukrainian defenders had forced Russian troops to withdraw from two villages on the Severodonetsk axis. Fighting continues in the temporary regional center of Luhansk Oblast.

In the evening of the same day, Hayday said that the Armed Forces had moved the enemy in Severodonetsk by 20%, the Russians had lost a lot of equipment and personnel, including the Kadyrovites. According to him, currently Ukrainian forces control about half of the city.