Russian and Ukrainian forces are engaged in street battles on the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian town of Selidovo as Moscow tries to establish control over the entire Donbass region, they say pro-Russian bloggers quoted by Reuters.
The Russian army last month made its fastest advance since March 2022, even as Ukrainian forces seized part of Russia's Kursk region, according to open sources.
In recent months, Russian offensive actions have been concentrated in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass. Russia surrounded towns in the Donetsk region and then slowly tightened the noose until Ukrainian units were forced to withdraw. According to some bloggers, Moscow is using the same tactics in relation to Selidovo, whose population before the war exceeded 20,000 people.
According to Yury Podoliaka, a prominent Ukrainian-born pro-Russian military blogger, "in the city there are battles for every street". "The offensive in Selidovo is intensifying," adds Podoliaka.
Other pro-Russian bloggers posted video showing intense shelling of the city. Reuters notes that it could not verify the authenticity of the footage.
Russia controls about 80% of Donbass and is moving west towards the tactically important cities of Pokrovsk and Kurakhovo.
Russian officials say the hostilities are entering their most dangerous phase since fighting began in February 2022, as Russian forces advance and the West considers how to end the war. Ukraine wants to join NATO, and Russia defines such a move as unacceptable. The US and key alliance member countries have not publicly supported President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for an immediate invitation to NATO membership.