Russia’s army has captured most of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine, British intelligence suggests.
The key city in the Luhansk region, which had a prewar population of 106,000, has been the scene of street battles, which caused evacuation efforts to stall.
Defensive lines held by Ukrainian troops in the region for years have been breached by Russian forces as part of Moscow’s attempt to bring another city under its control.
Russia will probably turn its attention to gaining more territory in the neighbouring Donetsk region after they have fully secured Severodonetsk, Britain said.
“Russia has taken control of most of Severodonetsk,” the Ministry of Defence said on Twitter.
“The main road into the Severodonetsk pocket likely remains under Ukrainian control but Russia continues to make steady local gains, enabled by a heavy concentration of artillery.
"This has not been without cost, and Russian forces have sustained losses in the process.
“Crossing the Siverskyy Donets River, which is a natural barrier to its axes of advance, is vital for Russian forces as they secure Luhansk Oblast and prepare to switch focus to Donetsk Oblast.
“Potential crossing sites include between Severodonetsk and the neighbouring town of Lysychansk; and near recently captured Lyman. In both locations, the river line is probably still controlled by Ukrainian forces, who have destroyed existing bridges.”
Russia will probably require a “short tactical pause to re-set” before attempting to cross rivers to carry out attacks in the Donetsk Oblast, where Ukrainian soldiers are entrenched in defensive positions, the UK said.
While this tactic may seem necessary, any temporary pause in operations would mean the Russian army “risks losing some of the momentum they have built over the last week”, the ministry said.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin signs documents, including a decree recognising two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent, during a ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow. President Vladimir Putin said on February 21, 2022, he would make a decision "today" on recognising the independence of east Ukraine's rebel republics, after Russia's top officials made impassioned speeches in favour of the move. AFP -
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pictured on February 22 after Russia ordered troops into two Moscow-backed rebel regions of Ukraine. AFP -
Russian military equipment crosses the Crimea border checkpoint. AFP -
People use a subway station as a bomb shelter in Kharkiv, Ukraine. EPA -
A traffic jam in Kyiv on February 24. Russian troops entered Ukraine while President Zelenskyy addressed the nation to announce the imposition of martial law. EPA -
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Firefighters tend to a fire after bombings in Chuguiv on February 24. AFP -
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Ukrainian National Guard servicemen take their positions in central Kyiv on February 25. Reuters -
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Mark Goncharuk, a young boy from Kyiv, leaves his father behind as he travels with the rest of his family towards the border on February 27. Reuters -
A pro-Russian militia serviceman in the Luhansk region, Ukraine, on February 27. Reuters -
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Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in Kyiv on March 1. Reuters -
Destroyed military vehicles in the town of Bucha, Ukraine, on March 1. Reuters -
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Ukrainians try to flee the country by crossing the Irpin River on the outskirts of Kyiv on March 5. AP -
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Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a videoconference meeting with government members at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 10. EPA -
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, and Ukranian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba before their meeting during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, on March 10. EPA -
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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and leaders of the US-led military alliance pose for a family photo at Nato Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on March 24. Reuters -
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A theatre destroyed in the southern port city of Mariupol on April 3. Reuters -
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President Zelenskyy in the town of Bucha, northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, on April 4. AFP -
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A firefighter works at the site of burning fuel storage facilities damaged by an air strike in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, on April 6. Reuters -
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Mr Johnson and Mr Zelensky in central Kyiv on April 9. AFP -
A booby trap found by locals near their home in the village of Zalissya village, Ukraine, on April 12. EPA -
Yehor, 7, holds a toy rifle next to destroyed Russian military vehicles near Chernihiv on Sunday, April 17. AP -
A man takes a selfie in front of a destroyed Russian tank in the village of Andriivka, Ukraine, on April 17. AFP -
Destroyed structures in Irpin, Ukraine, on April 8. Getty Images -
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An armoured convoy of pro-Russian troops moves along a road in the southern port city of Mariupol on April 21. Reuters -
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy poses for a picture with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in Kyiv on April 24. Reuters -
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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres visits Borodianka on April 28. AFP -
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Anton Gladun lies on his bed at the Third City Hospital in Cherkasy, Ukraine, on Thursday, May 5. AP -
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Service members of pro-Russian troops fire from a tank near the Azovstal steel plant in the southern port city of Mariupol on May 5. Reuters -
A Ukrainian soldier inside the ruined Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol on May 7. AP -
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An explosion at the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol on May 11. Reuters -
Russian paratroopers on a BMD-4 infantry fighting vehicle in Kharkiv on May 11. EPA -
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A controlled detonation of explosive devices near Borodianka, Ukraine, on May 17. Reuters -
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President Zelenskyy on a screen at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on May 23. Reuters -
A red poppy in front of a destroyed residential building in Mariupol on May 31. AFP -
The Russia-Ukraine conflict is discussed during the 152nd session of the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Co-operation Council in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 1. EPA
On Wednesday, forces loyal to Kyiv appeared close to losing control of Severodonetsk.
The regional governor of Luhansk said Russian forces occupied about 70 per cent of the city.
"If in two or three days the Russians take control of Severodonetsk, they will install artillery and mortars there and will bombard more intensely Lysychansk," Sergiy Gaiday wrote on Telegram.
Mr Gaiday said Ukrainian forces were prepared to fight "until the end" in Severodonetsk, and that "street fighting continues".
Luhansk is one of two regions, with Donetsk, that make up Ukraine's industrial heartland, Donbas, which Russia has vowed to "liberate".
Earlier this week, Mr Gaiday suggested Ukrainian troops could make a tactical retreat from the city to reduce casualties and take up defensive positions on the outskirts to repel further Russian advances.
French cameraman Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, 32, was shot dead on Monday while travelling in a lorry marked “humanitarian aid” near Severodonetsk. France has demanded an investigation into the incident.
