It follows a vicious summer campaign along the eastern front that saw Kyiv cede several thousand square kilometers (miles) of territory.

By Andrew Osborn (Reuters) -Russian troops are in complete control of the town of Vuhledar in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region that has resisted Russian assaults for more than two years, the SHOT Telegram channel and pro-Russian war bloggers said on Wednesday.

Ukrainian forces said Wednesday they had retreated from the stratgically key frontline town of Vuhledar in the eastern Donetsk region after two years of keeping invading Russian forces at bay.