Russia is pushing hard on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine as negotiations for a peace deal take place in Geneva, . Its forces are believed to have surrounded the key strategic cities of Pokrovsk and nearby Myrnohrad in the Donetsk region.
The cities are strategically important. If they fall it will open the way for Russian forces to advance north and west. Moscow says its forces have cut off Ukraine troops and there is street fighting in central areas.
It comes as US diplomats meet Ukrainian officials in Geneva to discuss Washington’s 28-point peace plan to end the war.
Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Abdujalil Abdurusalov in eastern Ukraine, Jonathan Beale in Kyiv and Steven Rosenberg in Moscow.
Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog
For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news
#BBCNews
