INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Ukraine said Sunday its forces controlled half of Severodonetsk, as Kyiv's military pushes back Russia's attempt to take the eastern city,
key to the battle for the Donbas region.But Luhansk's regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said they expected a major counter-attack from Russian
forces in the coming days."Our armed forces have cleaned half" of the industrial hub of Russian troops, Gaiday said in an interview posted
Ukrainian hands in the Luhansk region, which is part of Donbas
Russian forces have been gradually advancing there in recent weeks after having retreated or been pushed back from other areas, including
around the capital Kyiv.After being pushed back by a Russian offensive on the city, Ukrainian troops have steadily clawed back ground
there.Gaiday said that Russian forces had been tasked with gaining control of the city by Friday, as well as a key transport artery
connecting two other nearby cities, Lysychansk and Bakhmut."We expect in the near future that all the reserves that they now have access to
there will be a large increase in the number of shellings from heavy artillery," from the Russian side.
