‘Battle of Donbas’: Russia launches full-scale offensive into east Ukraine
- Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces had begun the ‘Battle of Donbas’
- Driven back by Ukrainian resistance in the north, Moscow has refocused its ground offensive east
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‘Battle of Donbas’ has begun, says Zelensky, as Russian forces begin offensive on Ukraine’s east
Russia launched its long-feared, full-scale offensive to take control of Ukraine’s east, attacking along a broad front over 480km (300 miles) long, in what marked the opening of a new and potentially climactic phase of the war.
In recent weeks, Russia’s military campaign has refocused on the eastern region of Donbas, which pro-Moscow separatists have partly controlled since 2014, after being driven back by Ukrainian resistance in the north.
On Tuesday, Russia’s defence ministry said its forces carried out dozens of air strikes in eastern Ukraine and that 1,260 military targets were hit by rockets and artillery overnight. It said Russian air defences also shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter.
“Another stage of this operation (in eastern Ukraine) is beginning and I am sure this will be a very important moment of this entire special operation”, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the India Today TV channel.
Russia’s statements came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced late on Monday the start of the new offensive by Moscow.
“We can now confirm that Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, which they have been preparing for a long time,” Zelensky said on Telegram.