Russian forces close to encircling Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine

Situation in Donbas even worse than people say it is', says Ukraine's foreign minister, as Kremlin makes further gains

• Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates

The besieged Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk appeared to be almost completely surrounded by attacking Russian forces on Friday as the Kremlin continued to make steady incremental gains in its offensive in the Donbas region backed by withering shell fire.

As the cities of Kharkiv and Dnipro also came under attack, analysts said the main Russian effort appeared still to be focused to the east, while Russian attacks elsewhere appeared to be aimed at consolidating their positions and tying down Ukrainian defenders who could otherwise be redeployed.