War latest: Russian soldiers told to surrender and fight for Kiev – as Putin's ally issues dire warnings of Ukrainian invasion of Russian border towns | World news

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian forces have taken control of the village of Serhiyivka in the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region.

Sky News cannot independently verify the claim.

In view of the approaching Russian forces, Ukraine today also ordered the evacuation of the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk.

The head of the city's military administration called on residents in a Telegram post to leave their homes immediately.

“The enemy is advancing at a rapid pace,” said Serhiy Dobryak.

Ukraine says capturing Donetsk is a priority for Moscow on the battlefield. Volodymyr Zelensky warned yesterday that Pokrovsk and other nearby cities were “exposed to the fiercest Russian attacks.”

Analysts at the Institute for War Research said Russian forces would maintain a “relatively high tempo of attack” in Donetsk as Moscow “gives priority to advances in eastern Ukraine” despite pressure from the Kursk invasion.

Three civilians have been killed and five others injured in Russian attacks across the region in the past 24 hours, a local official said.