Ukraine news – live: Putin’s troops claim to have ‘surrounded’ Bakhmut, as residents flee

“This is not the moment to delay any support to Ukraine, this is the moment to double down on our support. Give them what they need,” Mr Johnson told Fox News.

A Kremlin-backed regional leader in Donetsk claims the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has been surrounded by Russian forces, Reuters news agency reported.

“Bakhmut is now operationally surrounded, our forces are closing the ring around the city,” said Yan Gagin, an aide to Denis Pushilin — the Russia-backed leader of the illegally annexed Donetsk region.

Gagin claimed that fighting was now taking place for control of the Chasiv-Yar-Bakhmut highway.

Ukraine’s military leadership said there had been no let-up with Russian offensive operations, but spoke of heavy losses Russian forces were incurring in their battle for the town.

Downing Street has again ruled out supplying Ukraine with British fighter jets, despite Boris Johnson’s backing the idea.

Asked about the former prime minister’s attacks on the government for not sending jets, Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister welcomes all colleagues’ backing for Ukraine and is pleased the former prime minister is continuing his staunch support of the United Kingdom’s efforts to help Ukraine secure a lasting peace.”

But he said that Mr Johnson was “acting in his own capacity and not on behalf of the UK Government”.

The official said: “It’s currently not practical to send UK jets: we will continue to work closely with the Ukrainians to understand their needs and how allies can further support them.

“Given the complexity of UK fighter jets and the length of time required to train them we do not currently think it is practical to do so.”

Troops are fighting building to building in Bakhmut for gains of barely 100 metres a night, and the city was coming under constant Russian shelling, according to Ukrainian battleground reports.

Bakhmut came under renewed fire, as did the villages of Klishchiivka and Kurdyumivka on its southern approaches, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said late last night.

Russian forces also tried to advance on Avdiivka, the second focal point of Russian attacks in Donetsk region and Lyman, a town further north that was recaptured by Ukrainian forces in October, the military said. Further west, Russia fired on Vuhledar and a half dozen other towns and villages, it said.

Belarus said its armed forces are now in autonomous control of Russian-supplied nuclear-capable Iskander mobile guided missile systems after completing training in Russia as well as exercises on home soil.

The missiles are capable of hitting targets at a range of up to 310 miles, Minsk’s defence ministry said.

Russian forces used Belarus as a launch pad for their abortive attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in February last year, and a recent flurry of joint military activity in Belarus has fanned speculation that Moscow may be leaning on Minsk to join its war in Ukraine – something Minsk has ruled out.

The Iskander-M, codenamed “SS-26 Stone” by Nato, replaced the Soviet “Scud”. Its range reaches deep into Belarus’s neighbours Ukraine and Nato member Poland, whose relations with Belarus are badly strained

Polish president Andrzej Duda said US oresident Joe Biden will probably visit Central Europe in February but added he did not know which countries of the region he would be visiting.

“The president will most likely be coming to our part of Europe in February,” Mr Duda said during a press conference in Riga, Estonia, on Wednesday.

“Our part of Europe means Central Europe … this is an area stretching from Romania to Estonia. It is very difficult for us to answer where the president will be coming in detail, we do not have such information.”

A Moscow court has sentenced a Russian journalist to eight years in prison on charges of disparaging the military, the latest move in the authorities’ relentless crackdown on dissent.

Alexander Nevzorov, a television journalist and former legislator, was convicted on charges of spreading false information about the military under a law that was adopted soon after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine.

The law effectively exposes anyone critical of the Russian military action in Ukraine to fines and prison sentences of up to 15 years.

Nevzorov was accused of posting “false information” on social media about the Russian shelling of a maternity hospital in the Sea of Azov port of Mariupol. Moscow has fiercely denied its involvement.

The reporter, who moved abroad after the start of the Ukrainian conflict, had no immediate comment on the verdict.

Turkey looks positively on Finland’s application for Nato membership, but does not support Sweden’s bid, Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said today.

“Our position on Finland is positive, but it is not positive on Sweden,” Mr Erdogan said of their Nato applications in a speech to his AK Party deputies in parliament.

Sweden and Finland applied last year to join the trans-Atlantic defence pact after Russia invaded Ukraine, but faced unexpected objections from Turkey and have since sought to win its support.

Ankara wants Helsinki and Stockholm in particular to take a tougher line against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is considered a terror group by Turkey and the European Union, and another group it blames for a 2016 coup attempt.

The three nations reached an agreement on a way forward in Madrid last June, but Ankara suspended talks last month as tensions rose following protests in Stockholm in which a far-right Danish politician burned a copy of the Muslim holy book, the Koran.

Ukraine is hoping that the war will be over in May so citizens can travel to see the Eurovision Song Contest, a manager at the country’s public broadcaster said.

The Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC) is also advising the BBC and Liverpool on how to create the right “vibe” for the international music event when the UK city plays host in May.

Oksana Skybinska, an activity manager from the international co-operation department at the UA:PBC, told the PA news agency on Tuesday that she “really hopes” no other country is put in a similar situation due to an invasion.

When asked if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or other political figures would be attending Eurovision, she said: “For today’s ceremony, the mayor of Kyiv has prepared a video message, a welcome message, on behalf of the previous host city of Kyiv (who) hosted the contest in 2017.”

Security officials have raided the homes of one of Ukraine’s richest men and a former interior minister, a top governing party official said.

David Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People party’s parliamentary faction, said there were also searches at Ukraine‘s Tax Office and that the management team of the Customs Service would be dismissed.

President Volodymyr Zelensky last week announced a crackdown on corruption in the Ukrainian government ranks.