Ukraine Russia war latest news: Putin calls Russian sanctions ‘mad and

Here is the UK defence ministry’s latest assessment of the war in Ukraine. It includes:

• Difficulties over evacuating civilians from Sieverodonetsk
• Russia’s goal to advance deeper into Donetsk Oblast

Vladimir Putin has hit out at western sanctions against Russia over his invasion of Ukraine.

But what exactly has the UK imposed?

Shelling has trapped 77 miners in a coal mine in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine after power to the mine was cut off, according to Russia’s state RIA news agency.

Here is a quick look at the latest developments in the war:

• Russia is looking to penetrate deeper into the eastern Donetsk region and envelope the pocket abound the embattled city of Sievierodonetsk from the north, UK intelligence officials say.
• Russian troops have probably renewed efforts to advance south of the eastern city of Izium in the last 48 hours, the UK’s defence ministry says.
• Russia has heavily shelled the eastern city of Lysychansk, killing many, according to a regional official
• Russian media broadcast on Friday what it said were images of two U.S. citizens captured while fighting for Ukraine.
• Ukraine said on Friday its forces hit a Russian naval tugboat with two Harpoon missiles in the Black Sea, the first time it has claimed to have struck a Russian vessel with Western-supplied anti-ship weapons.

The new troop training scheme comes just a month after the UK announced more millitary aid – £1.3bn – to Ukraine.

Aisha Rimi reported at the time:

Russian president Vladimir Putin has condemned the sanctions placed on it by western countries in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Peony Hirwani reports.

“The economic blitzkrieg against Russia had no chance of succeeding from the very beginning,” he told a forum in St Petersburg on Friday,…