The chief of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has issued a call to the leader of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to evacuate the eastern city of Bakhmut. Reports indicate that it is almost entirely encircled by Russian forces.

The situation in Bakhmut appears to be extremely precarious, with evidence of Ukraine preparing extensive new defensive positions and large amounts of military traffic on nearby roads. A railway bridge east of the city was destroyed and other footage showed damage to a small road bridge.

Russian authorities have been shelling areas leading west out of Bakhmut in a bid to block Ukrainian forces' access. In a video posted online, Prigozhin claimed his fighters had "practically encircled" the city.

The Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy