The Latest Breaking News from Luhansk

The evacuation of civilians from the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk continued Wednesday as Russian troops pressed towards the city in their campaign to control the Donbas region. Follow FRANCE 24’s live blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time, GMT+2.

Vladimir Putin accused the West of decades of aggression towards Moscow and warned that if it wanted to attempt to beat Russia on the battlefield it was welcome to try, but this would bring tragedy for Ukraine.

Lysychansk was once a city of a 100,000 people in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region, but it now lies in ruins after its fall to Russian forces with many residents still living in bomb shelters and basements.

Ukraine has so far staved off any major Russian advance into the north of its Donetsk region, but pressure is intensifying with heavy shelling on the city of Sloviansk and nearby populated areas, the Ukrainian military said on Wednesday.

Russian troops are engaged in heavy fighting and making their way into Ukraine's Donetsk region after taking control of the last two towns in neighbouring Luhansk, the regional governor of Luhansk said on Tuesday.

Vadim Lyakh says 40 houses hit on Monday as Moscow shifts focus to main cities in Donetsk region after fall of Lysychansk

In its daily dispatch from the war in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence say the Kremlin's capture of Lysychansk will give Russia the stage to mount the second stage of its attack on Donetsk - the next move in its initial goal of "liberating" the Donbas region

Russia’s war has now arrived in the Donetsk city of Kramatorsk, as Moscow vows to push further into Ukrainian territory. Bel Trew meets some of those living there, for whom every day is a battle for survival

A day after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory in seizing the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, the mayor of a city that could be next in Moscow’s firing line warned residents to evacuate ahead of an expected assault

Forces of the Russian-backed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics are moving towards the Donetsk region after Russian forces took full control of Luhansk region last week, the Russian state news agency TASS cited Donetsk People's Republic leader Denis Pushilin as saying on Tuesday.

Russian parliamentary speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said on Tuesday that Ukraine was doing "everything" to ensure that Moscow's troops would not stop their "special military operation" at the borders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) in eastern Ukraine, the RIA Novosti agency reported.