Russian attacks have intensified in a number of locations in eastern Ukraine, including Kharkov, Luhansk and Donetsk, according to Ukrainian military and regional officials. Russian forces appear to be heavily bombarding areas of all three areas before a planned ground offensive. Around Slobozhansky, an area south of Kharkov, “the main focus of the Russian enemy is the reconstruction and reinforcement of troops,” said the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Russian forces are aiming to blockade the city of Kharkiv, which continues to receive persistent bombardment, and have gathered up to 22 regular battalion groups around Izium, the General Staff added. A regular battalion group usually consists of about 1,000 soldiers. “The enemy’s main efforts are focused on maintaining the previously occupied positions,” he said, noting the development of additional Russian units. In the Donetsk region, Russian efforts focused on occupying the cities of Popasna and Rubizne, while at the same time taking full control of the strategic port city of Mariupol, he added. The General Staff also spoke of continued fire on Ukrainian positions around Popasna, saying that Russian forces were “trying to improve the tactical situation, to go deep into the Popasna settlement”, but were eventually canceled. He cited intensified bombings around the city of Severodonetsk, “to inflict casualties, to deplete our troops and possibly prepare for offensive operations,” as well as bombings south of Toretsk. One person was killed in Kremina, northwest of Sheverodonetsk, a local official said. Efforts are continuing to secure residents of Rubizhne and Kreminna amid heavy fighting in the area, said Serhii Haidai, head of Luhansk regional administration. He added that there is no water or gas in Sheverodonetsk. On the last day, 10 Russian enemy attacks were stopped in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the General Staff added. “The main events we will be talking about in the coming days, or rather weeks, will be events related to the fighting in Ukrainian Donbass,” Vadim Denishenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, said on Saturday. Russian missile strikes have spread to areas beyond the Donbas region, Ukrainian officials say. One person was killed in an attack on a village near the city of Poltava, said Dmitry Lunin, head of the Poltava military administration. The country’s top general said he spoke with the top US military official on Friday. Valery Zaluzhny said he had discussed “fierce fighting on the Kharkiv-Izium border, preventing a Russian attack on Luhansk and Donetsk regions, the crisis around Mariupol and launching rockets across Ukraine” with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Mark Milley. “I reiterated the urgent need for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in arms and ammunition to strengthen our defense capabilities,” Zaluzhny added. The news comes as Russian preparations continue in eastern Ukraine for an offensive operation.
