Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia has begun its anticipated massive assault on the east of Ukraine. The president said:
"Now we can already state that the Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas for which they have been preparing for a long time. A significant part of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive. No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight. We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day."
The main offensive is expected to focus on the Donbass region, which includes the two breakaway republics recognised as independent by the Russian regime of Luhansk and Donetsk. The two republics are not recognised by the international community but have been partly under the control of Russian forces and Russian backed separatists since 2014. The region incorporates many Russian speakers, a quantity of whom do not see themselves as Ukrainian. The Donbass is also heavily industrialised and is one of the most important economic regions in Ukraine.
It is expected that Russian forces will move from the east against the heavily fortified Ukrainian defences that have been dug in for 8 years, but that significant forces will also move from the north of the Donbass and from the south in order to create a pincer movement and trap the Ukrainian defenders. The fall of the southern port city of Mariupol in all but name is believed to have freed up Russian forces to move in on the southern flank.
The Russian forces will be fortified by the thousands of troops and pieces of military hardware that have retreated into Belarus following the Russian failure to capture or encircle the capital city of Kyiv. For weeks these forces have been restructuring and reorganising for redeployment.
The announcement comes as missile strikes hit across Ukraine, including in Kyiv and in the far-western city of Lviv, where the first civilian casualties during the war in the city have now been recorded. Some analysts worry that Russia may even attempt to strike NATO bases or the nation's infrastructure on the western Ukrainian border in order to stop the massive flow of weapons moving from NATO countries to the Ukrainian defenders. Such a move would greatly increase tensions and risk an escalation of the conflict.
[Based on reporting by: itv]
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