The chief of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner has said his fighters had 'practically encircled' Bakhmut, the eastern Ukrainian city the Kremlin has been trying to seize for months.
Only one road into the city remains under Ukrainian control, Yevgeny Prigozhin added in a video posted online in which he called on the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to abandon the city.
While the claims by the head of the mercenary group could not be confirmed, the situation in the embattled city appeared to be extremely precarious, amid evidence Ukraine was preparing extensive defensive positions, including around the nearby city of Kramatorsk
Wagner chief calls on Zelenskiy to abandon ‘encircled’ Bakhmut
Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates