Lyman

Day 687 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed "brave" Ukraine on the 500th day of Russia's invasion on Saturday, as the war's toll mounted with eight deaths reported in Russian rocket fire.

Zelensky published on social media an undated video clip of a visit to Snake Island in the Black Sea -- a symbol of Ukraine's defiance against Russia.

Day 500 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Russian forces engaged in an all-out battle in eastern Ukraine have captured the strategic town of Lyman and surrounded a key industrial centre, Moscow has claimed.

But a Ukrainian official has denied that the city of Severodonetsk -- the focus of weeks of fierce fighting -- has been encircled, saying government troops had repelled Russian forces from its outskirts.

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Russian forces continue the offensive against Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk in the Luhansk region

Ukraine has pledged to do "everything" to defend Donbas, where an intensifying Russian offensive is prompting Kiev's forces to consider a strategic retreat from some key areas to avoid being surrounded.