Russia says it has Ukraine’s troops surrounded south of Lysychansk

Russian forces have surrounded Ukraine troops south of Lysychansk, the  Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) has said, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS.

The LPR said on Wednesday that about 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers and “foreign mercenaries” had fallen into a “tight ring” of Russian forces in the area of ​​Hirske and Zolote, located south of Lysychansk, TASS reports.

TASS also quoted a source from the LPR saying that its forces had taken the village of Volcheyarovka, some 12km (7.5 miles) southwest of Lysychansk.