* Russian forces are trying to surround Sievierodonetsk in eastern Donbas region
* Britain's MoD said Russia has deployed 10 of its BMP-T Terminator support tanks * BMP-Ts are designed to protect main battle tanks, of which Russia has lost many
* However, MoD said tanks are unlikely to have a 'significant impact' on the war
* The cities of Sievierodonetsk and Sloviansk, in the Donetsk region, are critical to Russia's objective of capturing all of eastern Ukraine after it backed off Kyiv
* Sievierodonetsk's governor said the city was under attack from four directions * Despite this, he said that Russian forces had so far failed to breach the city
* Meanwhile, Russia's defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov claimed its forces destroyed a shipment of western-supplied weapons in northern Ukraine
* This comes a day after he announced Russian forces had 'liberated' Mariupol's steelworks after the last Ukrainian soldiers inside surrendered
The battle for control over Ukraine's Donbas region intensified on Sunday as Russian troops fought to encircle a key frontline city in the country's east.
The Kremlin claimed today it had destroyed a shipment of Western-supplied weapons bound for the eastern region, in a blow to Kyiv's forces that are at risk of becoming trapped if they are unable to repel the advance of Vladimir Putin's armies.
As part of Russia's efforts to take control of Donbas, Britain's Ministry of Defense said Russia's only operational company of BMP-T Terminator tank support vehicles tanks, 'has likely been deployed to the Sievierodonetsk axis of the Donbas offensive.'
Read more ....
Update #1: Ukrainian army holding back enemy's advance on Sloviansk and Sievierodonetsk, says Zelensky -- The New Voice of Ukraine
Update #2: Ukraine’s Armed Forces repulse assault on Sievierodonetsk -- Ukrinform
WNU Editor: Ukraine is reporting heavy Russian losses in their offensive to take this region. But the last paved highway that connects Ukraine to the thousands of its soldiers in this "pocket" has (according to Russian media) been finally cut today .... Enemy seeks to cut Luhansk region off by capturing Lysychansk - Bakhmut highway (Ukrinform).
The fall of Sievierodonetsk And Lysychansk is important to the Russian military because it will then open the road for Russia to focus on taking the rest of the Donbas. That is probably why Ukrainian military units within the Sievierodonetsk And Lysychansk pocket have not been ordered to withdraw.
It looks like these fighters are being sacrificed to delay the Russian offensive into central and southern Donbas. Once cut off these military units will be defeated very quickly.
As to how many soldiers may be trapped?
I am reading from both Ukrainian and Russian sources that there are anywhere from 8.000 to 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers in this pocket.
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