Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday evening that the battle for the Donbass, i.e. the major Russian offensive from the eastern Ukrainian regions, had begun. “We can already say that Russian troops have started the battle for Donbass, for which they have been preparing for weeks. A large part of the Russian army is now focused on this offensive,” said Zelenskyy. “No matter how many soldiers come, we will defend ourselves. We will fight “.
A major offensive by Russian forces from the east, with Russia amassing and mobilizing manpower and equipment, has been expected for weeks since Russia withdrew from the northern regions around Kyiv. The Russian army has not officially announced the start of the offensive and is unlikely to do so, but in fact many locations along the Eastern Front were attacked between Sunday and Monday. There have been violent bombings of many cities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, but also land movements: among other things, Russian forces have taken the city of Kreminna west of the city of Luhansk after days of intense bombing.
Meanwhile, the few Ukrainian forces still barricaded in the city of Mariupol continue to defend themselves, despite being surrounded and short of resources. Although the city is now considered lost, the fact that large Russian forces are still involved removes personnel and equipment from the main Donbass offensive and poses a major problem for the Russian army.