So dreaded since the beginning of April, the massive attack by the Russian army against eastern Ukraine began on Monday evening, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday evening the start of the Russian offensive against eastern Ukraine, part of which is in the hands of pro-Russian separatists from the self-proclaimed republics of Luhansk and Donetsk. The deadly fighting there has intensified in recent days. “We can now say that Russian troops have started the battle for the Donbass, for which they have been preparing for a long time. A very large part of the entire Russian army is now devoted to this offensive,” he said in a speech broadcast on Telegram. And to proclaim: “No matter how many Russian soldiers are brought here, we will fight. We will defend ourselves.”
Shortly before, the Ukrainian governor of the Luhansk region, Serguiï Gaïdaï, had also announced the start of the offensive by Russian troops against the east of the country. “It’s hell. The offensive has begun, the one we’ve been talking about for weeks, he testified on Facebook. There is fighting in Rubizhne and Popasna, incessant fighting in other peaceful towns.”
At least eight civilians were killed on Monday by Russian fire and strikes, according to regional authorities. According to Serguiï Gaïdaï, four people died in Kreminna, a small town in the Luhansk region that fell into the hands of the Russians on Monday. And four others in the neighboring region of Donetsk, according to the Ukrainian governor of this region, Pavlo Kyrylenko. “Five other people were injured,” he claimed on Telegram.
Since the announcement of the withdrawal of its troops from the Kyiv region, Russia has concentrated its armed forces in the east of the country, the target of frequent bombardments since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24. A massive offensive from Moscow had been announced and feared by the Ukrainian army for several weeks against Donbass, a large part of which is under the control of pro-Russian separatists from the self-proclaimed republics of Luhansk and Donetsk.