Key Ukraine town faces 'multi-thousand' Russian force, top commander admits

Oleksandr Syrskyi says special forces have been deployed but denies Russian reports Ukrainian troops are surrounded in Pokrovsk.

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Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian troops were fending off a "multi-thousand enemy" force - but denied Russian claims that they were surrounded or blocked.

He confirmed that elite special forces had been deployed to protect key supply lines which, army sources said, were all under Russian fire.

The defence ministry in Moscow reported that Ukrainian troops were surrendering and 11 of their special forces had been killed after landing by helicopter - something denied by Kyiv.

Gen Syrskyi said in a social media post on Saturday that he was "back on the front" to personally hear the latest reports from military commanders on the ground in the eastern Donetsk region.