Russia threatens to capture Severodonetsk

told Arif Bahirov that it was time to leave Severodonetsk: the bodies on the streets, left because it was not safe to remove them; the fires that were no longer being extinguished; the missile that landed in the apartment downstairs. On May 21st the media manager dusted off his mountain bike and checked the tyres. He grabbed a few treasured possessions, as well as water and the most calorific food he could find, and threw them into a rucksack. Then he started pedalling towards Bakhmut, 70km away. The artillery-pockmarked road along which Mr Bahirov cycled is now a central focus of Russia's attempt to regain the initiative in . As the bigger of the two supply roads linking Severodonetsk, a town that sits at the easternmost point of a salient that juts into Russian-held territory, this route largely determines whether Russia can encircle a Ukrainian defence force estimated at 10,000 troops. The invaders have pounded the road with everything they have; and they now have at least part of it in easy firing range. Mr Bahirov didn't know any of this when he set off. He had been without news, an internet connection or electricity for weeks. So he survived by wartime intuition: jumping into the nearest ditch whenever he heard artillery or fighter jets, and hoping for the best.