Hundreds of civilians trapped in Soledar amid fierce fighting, Ukraine says

Hundreds of civilians remain trapped in Soledar, Ukraine has said, as bloody fighting continues over control of the largely destroyed salt mining town in eastern Ukraine.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk, told Ukrainian state TV that 559 civilians remained in Soledar, including 15 children, and could not be evacuated.

But the Kremlin has so far declined to declare victory in Soledar.

In its daily military briefing on Thursday, the Russian defence ministry did not mention developments surrounding Soledar.

Drone footage released by Ukraine this week revealed some of the destruction inflicted on Soledar after months of fighting, with bomb craters scarring the landscape.

Before and after photos give a sense of the destruction:

Ukraine has been warning for weeks that Russia is preparing for a major offensive, claiming that Moscow is set to order the mobilisation of up to 500,000 conscripts in January.

Russia and Belarus have recently expanded their joint military training exercises in Belarus, as concern grows that Moscow is pressuring its closest ally to join the war.