Ukrainian troops 'start surrendering' in key city but Kyiv says situation 'dynamic'

Ukrainian soldiers encircled by Russian forces in the key eastern city of Pokrovsk have started surrendering, the defence ministry in Moscow claims.

But Ukraine's military has pushed back on the report by the TASS state news agency, saying the situation is "difficult and dynamic". Kyiv has also claimed its positions in some districts of Pokrovsk have improved despite its city being infiltrated by Russian troops.

Latest: Russian attacks are 'nuclear terrorism', Ukraine warns Ukraine is increasing its number of assault troops in the area, the 7th Rapid Response Corps said on Facebook. And Ukrainian troops are also working to cut Moscow's military logistics routes, it added.

The Russian defence ministry also said its forces defeated a team of Ukrainian special forces that headed to Pokrovsk in a bid to prevent Russian forces from advancing further into the city. 'Footage of Ukrainian troops after surrendering' It later posted videos of two Ukrainian troops who, it claimed, had surrendered.

The footage showed the men, one dressed in fatigues and the other in a dark green jacket, sat against a wall in a dark room, as they spoke of fierce fighting and encirclement by Russian forces. The videos' authenticity could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate public comment from Kyiv on the Russian ministry's claims.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously acknowledged that some Russian units had infiltrated the city. But he maintained that Ukraine is tackling them.

He said Russia had deployed 170,000 troops in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk province, where Pokrovsk is located, in a major offensive to capture the city and claim a big battlefield victory. 'Operation to destroy enemy forces' Ukraine's army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Saturday the situation in Pokrovsk remained "hardest" for Ukrainian forces, who were trying to push Russian troops out.

But he insisted there was no encirclement or blockade as Moscow has claimed. "A comprehensive operation to destroy and push out enemy forces from Pokrovsk is ongoing.

The main burden lies on the shoulders of the units of the armed forces of Ukraine, particularly UAV operators and assault units," Mr Syrskyi said. Read more:Ukraine will work on ceasefire plan within next 10 days24 hours in the kill zone Why is Pokrovsk important? One of Moscow's key aims has been to take all of Ukraine's industrial heartland of coal-rich Donbas, which comprises of the Luhansk and Donetsk provinces.

Kyiv still controls about 10% of Donbas. Capturing Pokrovsk, which Russian media has dubbed "the gateway to Donetsk.