Ukrainian forces prepared Friday to retreat from the strategic city of Severodonetsk after weeks of fierce fighting, a setback that could pave the way for Russia to seize a large swath of eastern Ukraine.

经过数周的激烈战斗，乌克兰军队星期五准备从战略重镇北顿涅茨克撤退，这一挫败可能为俄罗斯夺取乌克兰东部大片地区铺平道路U9U-Y)NGrb。

Moscow said it had encircled about 2,000 Ukrainian and what it called foreign troops in the area.

莫斯科表示，它已经在该地区包围了大约2000名乌克兰士兵和所谓的外国军队yF.[|sthbz]。

Reuters could not independently verify any of the battlefield accounts.

路透社无法独立核实任何有关战场的报道.ZrEQsuS4Cs。

The reports came four months to the day since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops over the border, unleashing a conflict that has killed thousands, uprooted millions and reduced whole cities to rubble.

四个月前，俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京派遣数万名士兵越过边境，引发了一场冲突，导致数千人死亡，数百万人背井离乡，整个城市沦为废墟hiKYKV*.g&)dfjuqSlAS。