Russian troops enter outskirts of city in eastern Ukraine

Ukrainian servicemen park a Russian infantry combat vehicle in the Kharkiv area (Bernat Armangue/AP)

The Russian-battered eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk appears to be on the brink of becoming another Mariupol as services and aid have been cut and Moscow seeks to capture all of Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region.

Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai said the Russians have entered the outskirts of Sievierodonetsk and are pushing towards nearby Lysychansk.