Russian forces claim unconfirmed capture of Niu-York in east Ukraine

Asked to respond to reports that three bridges had been blown up over the River Seym, cutting off evacuation and supply routes, he said “the fact that some bridge has been blown up doesn’t mean anything”.

However, state news agency Tass says local police are now having to use privately owned boats to get civilians to safety because bridges are down.

German photographer Nanna Heitmann said she had spoken to Russians in the region who were furious that state media were not giving the full picture: “They’re shocked, they are angry. A lot of people wait, thousands of people waiting in lines to find shelter, to find basic needs like blankets, pillows etc.”

Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who has appeared wrong-footed by the Ukrainian offensive, compared it on Tuesday to a 2004 school massacre by Chechen militants in Beslan where more than 300 people were killed.

On a visit to the school and to mothers of the victims in North Ossetia, he said “just as we fought with terrorists previously, now we fight with those who commit crimes in Kursk region, Donbas and Novorossiya”, using an old Russian imperial term for areas of occupied Ukraine.

Additional reporting by BBC Verify