Russia has unleashed new offensive into east Ukraine, says Zelensky

NOVODRUZHESK, Ukraine: Russia has launched a significant offensive into jap Ukraine, Ukrainianian leaders mentioned, opening a brand new part of its invasion after being thwarted in efforts to seize the capital.

In current weeks, Moscow’s army marketing campaign has refocused on the jap area of Donbas, which pro-Kremlin separatists have partly managed since 2014.

“We are able to now verify that Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, which they’ve been getting ready for a very long time,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned on Telegram late Monday.

“Irrespective of what number of Russian troopers are introduced right here, we’ll battle. We’ll defend ourselves.”

Forward of the extensively anticipated advance, Ukrainian authorities had urged individuals in Donbas to flee west to flee.

“The second part of the warfare has began,” Kyiv’s presidential chief of workers Andriy Yermak mentioned.

Management of Donbas would permit Moscow to create a southern hall to the occupied Crimean peninsula.

Within the south of the area, Russia continued its push to seize the besieged port metropolis of Mariupol, the place the final remaining Ukrainian forces have taken a last stand.

However regardless of the determined state of affairs within the metropolis, a senior US Protection Division official mentioned Mariupol “continues to be contested.”

Russia has additionally added 11 battalion tactical teams — consisting of, amongst different issues, artillery, helicopters, and logistical assist — to its forces in east Ukraine, the official added, bringing the whole to 76 within the nation.

Monday additionally noticed the primary shipments of a brand new US army assist package deal arrive at Ukraine’s borders to be handed over in its battle in opposition to the Russian invasion.

America on April 13 unveiled an $800-million tranche of apparatus for Ukraine, together with helicopters, howitzers and armored personnel carriers.

Moscow’s forces on Monday pounded targets throughout the nation, killing no less than seven individuals within the far western metropolis of Lviv.

Lviv has largely been spared bombardment since Russia invaded on February 24, and the town and its environment had develop into a haven for these in search of security from the warfare zone.

However “immediately we understood clearly that we don’t have any secure locations in Ukraine. It’s very harmful,” a financial institution worker who gave her title as Natalia informed AFP after the strikes.

Russia’s protection ministry mentioned Monday it had hit 16 army targets throughout Ukraine.

Among the many websites struck was a depot close to Lviv that Moscow mentioned held weapons just lately delivered to Ukraine from the USA and Europe.

Shortly earlier than Zelensky’s handle, the regional governor of the Lugansk area Sergiy Gaiday additionally introduced the start of Russia’s much-anticipated assault.

“It’s hell. The offensive has begun, the one we’ve been speaking about for weeks. There’s fixed preventing in Rubizhne and Popasna, preventing in different peaceable cities,” he mentioned on Fb.

Russian shelling killed no less than eight civilians in jap Ukraine, based on native authorities.

Gaiday mentioned 4 individuals died as they tried to flee the town of Kreminna in Lugansk as Russian troops moved in.

“The Russian military has already entered there, with an enormous quantity of army {hardware}… Our defenders have retreated to new positions,” Gaiday mentioned in an announcement on social media.

However Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich mentioned Russian forces had not conquered the town.

Ukrainian officers on Monday halted the evacuation of civilians from frontline cities and cities within the east for a second day, accusing Russian forces of getting blocked and shelled escape routes.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk urged Moscow to open humanitarian corridors from Mariupol to Berdyansk and from the Azovstal metallurgical industrial zone — a holdout for Ukrainian fighters.

“Your refusal to open these humanitarian corridors will, sooner or later, be grounds for prosecuting all these concerned in warfare crimes,” she mentioned on Telegram.

The Mariupol metropolis council mentioned Monday there are over 1,000 civilians trapped in shelters underneath the Azovstal metal plant, the place Ukrainian forces are waging a determined final stand in opposition to the Russians.

“(They’re) principally ladies with kids and the aged,” they mentioned on Telegram.

President Vladimir Putin has mentioned he launched the army operation on February 24 to save lots of Russian audio system in Ukraine from a “genocide” carried out by a “neo-Nazi” regime.

He acknowledged the independence of two self-proclaimed separatist republics in Donetsk and Lugansk shortly earlier than the invasion started.

On Monday, Putin lauded the sixty fourth Motor Rifle Brigade — which is accused of committing atrocities close to Kyiv — bestowing battle honors on them for “heroism and valour, tenacity and braveness.”

Ukraine has alleged the brigade is responsible of warfare crimes whereas occupying the suburb of Bucha on the outskirts of Kyiv, the place residents have been shot useless, some with their fingers certain.

The European Union condemned Russia’s “indiscriminate” bombing of Ukrainian civilians following the strikes on Lviv.

Its international coverage chief Josep Borrell pointed to “significantly heavy assaults” in jap and southern Ukraine and an offensive in opposition to second metropolis Kharkiv, the place officers mentioned Russian shelling killed three individuals.

“Assaults on Lviv and different cities in western Ukraine present that no a part of the nation is spared from the Kremlin’s mindless onslaught,” Borrell added.

Searching for to strengthen ties and speed up admission to the 27-nation bloc, Zelensky mentioned that Ukraine hoped to obtain EU candidate nation standing inside weeks.

On Monday, he handed the EU’s envoy to Kyiv a two-volume response to a membership questionnaire introduced by European Fee chief Ursula von der Leyen in March.