Ukraine ignores Russian ultimatum to surrender Sievierodonetsk

Hundreds of civilians, including children, are sheltering in the Azot chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk. The UN said the lack of water was ‘a huge concern’. Photograph: Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters

Ukraine has ignored a Russian ultimatum to surrender the embattled eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, as fears grow over the hundreds of civilians trapped in the city’s Azot chemical factory.

Russia ordered Ukrainian forces a day earlier to stop “senseless resistance and lay down arms” from Wednesday morning, as Moscow controls 80% of Sievierodonetsk, a city that has become a focal point of Russia’s advances in the east of the country.