Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the embattled eastern town of Siversk, as Russia continues its steady - albeit slow - advance.
The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday it acted to preserve the lives of our soldiers and the combat capability of units, adding that Russian forces had a significant advantage in manpower.
The capture of Siversk brings Russia closer to the last remaining fortress belt cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk still in Ukrainian hands in the industrial Donetsk region.
Earlier in the day, officials said three people - including a young child - were killed in massive overnight Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.
In a statement, the Ukrainian military said Russian troops were continuing active offensive actions in the Siversk area despite significant losses. It added that Ukrainian defence forces had exhausted the enemy during the fighting for Siversk.
Before the Russian invasion, Siversk had about 11,000 people. Siversk has been virtually wiped out as a town during many months of heavy fighting.
Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The regions are collectively known as Donbas.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from all of Donbas or Russia will seize it, rejecting any compromise over how to end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been under heavy pressure from his US counterpart Donald Trump to cede all of Donbas to Russia during ongoing Washington-led peace negotiations. Zelensky has so far rejected any territorial concessions, and instead demanded iron-clad security guarantees for Ukraine in any potential settlement.
According to Zelensky, the US had proposed a Christmas truce but Russia rejected the idea.
