April 18 (Reuters) – Russian forces launched a new offensive across much of Ukraine’s eastern flank on Monday and the “battle of Donbass” has now begun, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky and senior officials said. .
Ukraine’s military has been preparing for a new Russian assault on its eastern flank since Moscow withdrew its forces from around Kyiv and northern Ukraine late last month to focus on an assault towards the Ukrainian region. of Donbass.
“We can now say that Russian forces have started the Battle of Donbass, which they have been preparing for for a long time,” Volodimir Zelensky said in a video address.
“They (the Russian forces) began their attempt to start the active phase this morning”, declared on television the secretary of the Security Council of Ukraine, Oleksi Danilov.
“This morning, on almost the entire front line of the (eastern) regions of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv, the occupiers tried to break through our defences,” he said.
Russia has bolstered its forces in eastern Ukraine by transferring troops there that it has withdrawn from northern Ukraine and Bilorussia, a close Russian ally.
In a message posted on Facebook, the Ukrainian Armed Forces Command said that the main Russian military force was focused on taking control of the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which constitute the strip of land known as from Donbass.
“The second phase of the war has begun (…) Believe in our army, it is very strong”, wrote the chief of staff of the Ukrainian president, Andri Yermak, on the encrypted messaging Telegram.
Russian reinforcements have paved the way for a long battle that military analysts say is sure to inflict heavy casualties on both sides as the Russians attempt to encircle entrenched Ukrainian fighters to defend Donbass. (Report by Maria Starkova Lviv; written by Jonathan Oatis and Sandra Maler, French version Jean-Michel Blot)