Russian forces launched an attack on eastern Ukraine on Monday, trying to break through Ukrainian lines in the Donbas region, the secretary of Ukraine’s defense council said.
“This morning, along almost the entire front line of the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv districts, the occupiers tried to break through our defenses,” Alexei Danilov said in television comments.
“They started their attempt to start the active phase this morning,” he added.
The Pentagon did not dispute Ukraine’s reports Monday, but described the attacks as so-called “shaping operations” in preparation for a larger, future attack.
“We still believe that what we see is part of shaping operations, that the Russians continue to set the stage for what they believe will be a possible success on the ground,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
“We believe that the Russians are shaping and creating conditions for future offensive operations. We also see that active hostilities are taking place in Donbass, as in the last few weeks, “he added.
Russian forces have launched their expected attack on eastern Ukraine, trying to break through Ukrainian lines in the Donbas region. AFP via Getty Images
The Donbass, made up mostly of Luhansk and Donetsk districts along Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia, has been the site of sporadic battles since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Moscow’s simultaneous support for separatist movements in Donbas.
After Russian forces failed to take Kyiv last month, the Kremlin said it was redirecting its efforts to take over Donbass while continuing to shell Ukraine.
Monday’s reports of fighting in the region come after days of Russian forces gathering near Izyum, a city in the Kharkiv region just outside Donbass.
The attack comes just hours after a massive Russian bombing struck targets throughout Ukraine, including west of Lviv, near the Polish border. Russian authorities have announced military strikes in Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Dnipro and Mykolaiv, as well as in Donetsk in the heart of Donbass.
Donbass is a place of sporadic fighting since the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014. REUTERS
Meanwhile, the Pentagon estimates that Russia has strengthened its forces in southern and eastern Ukraine by adding tens of thousands of troops to the region to at least ten new battalion tactical groups.
Mariupol, a strategic port city in the southern Donbas, continues to resist Russian pressure, although its defenders are dwindling. Ukrainian control of the city is a major obstacle to Russian forces entering Crimea and Donbass.
Experts predict that any full-scale Russian attack on Donbass will occur after the capture of Mariupol.
With postal wires
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