Russian army wants to encircle Ukrainian troops in the east - British intelligence

Russian troops appear to be attempting to encircle Ukrainian forces in the south and east of Ukraine, but counterattacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces are hampering Russian attempts to reorganize their forces.

The UK's Defense Ministry said this in its latest intelligence update published on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.

"Russian forces appear to be concentrating their effort to attempt the encirclement of Ukrainian forces directly facing the separatist regions in the east of the country, advancing from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south," the statement said.

The battlefield across northern Ukraine remains largely static with local Ukrainian counterattacks hampering Russian attempts to reorganize their forces, the ministry said.