For generations the Russian city of Tolyatti has been synonymous with leading car manufacturer Avtovaz, maker of one of the country's best-known brands, the Lada automobile.

But with the West piling sanctions on Russia over its military action in Ukraine, Tolyatti and the workers of Avtovaz are bracing for tough times.

Gathered in a small apartment

Ukrainian forces are dug in around the village of Krasnopillia in the Donbas as they brace for an anticipated Russian offensive to take the eastern region. 

"We know the Russians are reinforcing and are getting ready to attack," a senior Ukrainian officer on the ground told AFP, echoing other sources who warned of a Russian assault in the Donbas

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday said the discovery of bodies in the Ukrainian town of Bucha was a "provocation" aimed at scuppering talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

"A question arises: What purpose does this blatantly untruthful provocation serve? We are led to believe it is to find a pretext to torpedo the ongoing negotiations,"

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson released a video address Tuesday in which he speaks directly to the Russian people, telling them they "deserve the truth" about the invasion of Ukraine.

"The Russian people deserve the truth, you deserve the facts," Johnson said, speaking in Russian, at the outset of the nearly two-minute address before