Ukrainian fighters conducting successful counterattacks, including in Severodonetsk — ISW

On June 5, the Ukrainian armed forces continued to conduct limited and localized but successful counterattacks against Russian troops throughout Ukraine, including in Severodonetsk, where Russia is concentrating most of its forces, the American Institute for the Study of War reports in its latest update.

Ukrainian forces are probably looking to use Russia's continued concentration on Severodonetsk to launch counterattacks in other areas.

Russian troops continue to deploy equipment and troops to the Severodonetsk-Lysychansk area. Nevertheless, Ukrainian troops have conducted a successful counteroffensive in Severodonetsk over the past 48 hours and have repulsed Russian troops to the eastern outskirts of the city and from southern settlements.

Ukraine's counteroffensive is likely to continue to draw the attention of Russian troops to Luhansk Oblast and thus leave vulnerabilities in Russia's defense efforts in Kharkiv Oblast and along the southern axis, ISW said.

The analysts add that the ability of Ukrainian troops to successfully counterattack Severodonetsk, the Kremlin's current priority area of ​​action, also indicates a reduction in the combat power of Russian troops in Ukraine.

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.

On June 5, Hayday wrote that the Ukrainian military had "mopped up" half of the city of Severodonetsk from the Russian occupiers and are currently controlling it.

According to him, radio interceptions suggest that the commanders of the Russian army received two instructions: to capture Severodonetsk by June 10 and to assume full control over the strategic Lysychansk-Bakhmut route.