Ukraine reclaims part of Severodonetsk taken by Russia

June 4 (UPI) -- Ukraine has reclaimed part of Severodonetsk, the regional governor said, as fighting continues in the more than 100-day war with Russia.

Regional Gov. Serhiy Haidai said late Friday that Ukraine has reclaimed about 20% of the city of Severodonetsk, an industrial center in the embattled Luhansk region and critical city in Russia's plan to capture Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.

Moscow had captured the majority of the city of Severodonetsk on Thursday, the day before the Russia-Ukraine war hit its 100-day mark, according to a British military report.

Around 70% of Severodonetsk was captured, but Ukrainian forces recaptured around 20%, so Ukraine now controls around half of the city of Severodonetsk, the head of Luhansk's regional military administration said.

The Russians "had previously managed to capture most of the city, but now our military has pushed them back," the regional governor told CNN on Saturday. "They are really suffering huge losses.

"The difficult situation remains in the region as a whole, and Severodonetsk is now just a concentration of hostilities because the Russian army -- as we understand -- is throwing all its reserves into this direction," he added.

The regional governor also told CNN that the Ukrainian military lacks long-range artillery, which could be pivotal in the conflict zone in eastern Donbas.

"They are moving forward step-by-step. They are simply destroying everything with artillery, aircraft, mortars, tanks," he said. "But as soon as we have enough Western long-range weapons, we will push their artillery away from our positions. And then, believe me, the Russian infantry will run."

Meanwhile, Russian forces have been blowing up bridges to stop Ukraine from sending in reinforcements, and Ukrainian troops are still "trying to push back the enemy," as fighting continues in Severodonetsk, he added.

In Hirske, around 18.6 miles south of Severodonetsk, three people were killed on Friday, including a mother and child, Haidai said.

Haidai also said they aren't able to safely evacuate Severodonetsk or bring in aid, which makes the humanitarian situation "very difficult."

The Luhansk region, which, along with Donetsk is collectively known as the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, has been partially controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.

Due to the ongoing fighting, the main temple pf All Saints wooden monastery in Sviatohirsk, in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine was engulfed in flames, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church said in a statement to CNN.

"As a result of hostilities, a large-scale fire broke out on the territory of All Saints skete of Sviatohirsk Lavra," the statement said. "The flames engulfed the temple."

So far, no casualties have been reported.

The Ukrainian military said Russian forces have also been preparing to resume offense toward the eastern city of Sloviansk in the Donetsk region.

In Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, the general staff of Ukraine's military told CNN that Russian forces were trying to "restrain the advance of our troops in the direction of the State Border."

The general staff added that the Russian advance included Mi-8 helicopters airstrike towards positions of Ukrainian troops in the area of rural settlements of Slatyne and Dementiivka, north of Kharkiv.

In Mykolaiv, a city near the Black Sea in southern Ukraine, Russian forces opened fired at residential areas, killing three people and injuring four others, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych said.

The mayor added that two of the victims died at the scene and another died on the way to the hospital.

Regarding the four injured, Sienkevych told CNN "doctors are fighting for their lives."

The attack on the southern city also damaged three high-rise buildings.

Since the Russia-Ukraine war began on Feb. 24, 4,183 civilians have been killed and 5,014 have been injured, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights update on Friday. The update notes that actual civilian casualties may be even higher due to delayed reports and many reports still pending corroboration.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address to the Luxembourg parliament that Russia now controls 20% of the country.