According to the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv was shaken by multiple explosions early on Sunday morning, a day after officials said that forces had recovered a portion of Sievierodonetsk in a counteroffensive against Russia.

"Several explosions in Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts of the capital," wrote Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on the Telegram messaging application. "On-site services are already operational. Following the explosions, the journalist observed smoke across the city.

The Ukrainian assertion regarding Sievierodonetsk could not be independently corroborated, and Moscow stated that its forces were gaining ground there. However, this was the first time Kyiv claimed to have mounted a significant counterattack on the small industrial city following retreat days.

Mayor of Sievierodonetsk Oleksandr Stryuk reported that street fighting continued throughout Saturday, with both sides exchanging artillery fire.

"The situation is tense, complicated," he said on national television, adding that food, fuel, and medicine were in limited supply. Our military is making every effort to expel the enemy from the city.

In recent weeks, Russia has concentrated its forces on Sievierodonetsk for one of the most significant land engagements of the war. Moscow appears to have staked its campaign on taking one of two eastern provinces it claims for separatist proxies.

According to military analysts, this battle might determine which side gets the upper hand in a protracted war of attrition over the next few months. Both sides claim to have inflicted heavy fatalities.

In diplomacy, Kyiv criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for stating that it was crucial not to "humiliate" Moscow.

"We must not humiliate Russia so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means," Macron said in an interview with regional newspapers published on Saturday, adding that he was "convinced that it is France's role to be a mediating power."

In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted: "Calls to prevent the humiliation of Russia can only disgrace France and any other nation that makes such a demand.

"Because Russia is the one who humiliates itself. We should all concentrate on putting Russia in its place. This will promote tranquility and save lives."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a stern message: "The terrible consequences of this war can be stopped at any moment ... if one person in Moscow simply gives the order," he stated, presumably referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "And the fact that there is still no such order is obviously a humiliation for the whole world."