Powerful blasts were heard in Ukraine’s capital this morning, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko reported via Telegram. “The services are still working in the affected areas,” Klitschko wrote, adding that detailed information will be announced later on.

Ukrainian forces have recaptured around 20% of the territory they lost in the city of Sievierodonetsk during fighting with Russia, the head of the eastern region of Luhansk Serhiy Gaidai announced. Russian forces are blowing up bridges across the Seversky Donets river to prevent Ukraine bringing in military reinforcements and delivering aid to civilians in the town of Sievierodonetsk, the governor of the Luhansk region said.

In the neighboring Donetsk region, Russian troops were only 15 km away from the city of Slovyansk, warned regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. Donetsk will not fall quickly but needs more weapons to keep the attackers at bay, Kyrylenko said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian artillery hit an early 17th century Ukrainian Orthodox monastery near the town of Svyatohirsk. Some 300 civilians, including 60 children, were hiding there, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.