Russia could step up attacks in Ukraine's north-east, Britain says

Russia could step up its attacks in the area east of the towns of Kupyansk and Lyman in north-eastern Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defence said in its daily intelligence update on the war.

"The Ukrainian counter-offensive has put Russian forces under pressure in Bakhmut and southern Ukraine," it wrote.

"Despite this, Russia's Western Group of Forces has continued small-scale attacks in the north-east, in the Kupiansk-Lyman sector, and has made some limited local advances."

As Ukraine continues to gradually gain ground in the south, Russia could try to regain the initiative by swinging back to an "operational-level offensive" in the north-east, according to the assessment.

"There is a realistic possibility Russia will increase the intensity of its offensive efforts on the Kupiansk-Lyman axis in the next two months, probably with the objective of advancing west to the Oskil River and creating a buffer zone around Luhansk Oblast."

Ukraine liberated the Russian-occupied town of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region last year.

The Ministry of Defence has been publishing an update on the war every day since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow accuses London of a disinformation campaign.