Ukraine ignores Russian ultimatum to surrender Sievierodonetsk

Fears grow over the hundreds of civilians believed to be sheltering in the city's Azot chemical plant

• Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates

Ukraine has ignored a Russian ultimatum to surrender the embattled eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, as fears grow over the hundreds of civilians trapped in the city's Azot chemical factory.

Russia ordered Ukrainian forces a day earlier to stop senseless resistance and lay down arms" from Wednesday morning, as Moscow controls 80% of Sievierodonetsk, a city that has become a focal point of Russia's advances in the east of the country.