Russia steps up Ukraine assault as US warns of annexation
- After failing to take Kyiv, Moscow has shifted its invasion to largely Russian-speaking areas and has stepped up pressure on the key port of Odesa
- The US says Russia is preparing imminently to annex Luhansk and Donetsk, and considering a similar plan in Kherson
Russia on Monday launched a fresh assault on the critical Ukrainian port of Odesa as the United States warned that Moscow was preparing formally to annex embattled regions in the east.
The new heavy fighting came as the European Union said it was bracing for a complete end to Russian gas supplies with the bloc preparing another package of sanctions sure to anger President Vladimir Putin.
After failing to take the capital Kyiv, Moscow has shifted its two-month-old invasion to largely Russian-speaking areas and has stepped up pressure on Odesa, a celebrated cultural hub that is a crucial port on the Black Sea.
Odessa’s city council said that a Russian strike hit a residential building housing five people. A 15-year-old boy was killed and a girl was hospitalised, the council said on Telegram.
Fighting was particularly intense in eastern Ukraine around Izyum, Lyman and Rubizhne as the Russians prepared an attack on Severodonetsk, the farthest city still under Kyiv’s control, Ukraine’s general staff said.
In Lyman, relentless shelling has reduced hamlets around the city to rubble.