Russia denies advances by Ukrainian forces along front line

Russia's defence ministry has denied reports by pro-Russian sources that Ukrainian soldiers have made advances on the front line in east Ukraine.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group fighting on the Russian side, accused regular Russian troops of abandoning positions around Bakhmut.

Russian military bloggers reported Ukrainian advances or troop movements in several areas on Thursday.

Ukraine's president said earlier it was too early to start a counteroffensive.

"With [what we already have] we can go forward and, I think, be successful," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview for public service broadcasters who are members of Eurovision News, like the BBC.

"But we'd lose a lot of people. I think that's unacceptable. So we need to wait. We still need a bit more time."

The expected attack could be decisive in the war, redrawing frontlines that, for months, have remained unchanged. It will also be a crucial test for Ukraine, eager to prove that the weapons and equipment it has received from the West can result in significant battlefield gains.

In a statement, Russia's defence ministry said: "The individual declarations on Telegram about a 'breakthrough' on several points on the frontline do not correspond to reality."

"The general situation in the special military operation zone is under control," it added.

According to Mr Prigozhin, the situation "on the flanks" at Bakhmut, the ruined city at the centre of bloody fighting for months, was "developing in line with the worst of the predicted scenarios".