Regrouping for an offensive in eastern Ukraine, Russian forces began what a Ukrainian official described as the “second phase of the war” – the Battle of Donbass.
A Ukrainian official said control of the town of Kremina in the eastern Luhansk region had already been “lost” during heavy fighting.
The developments come after Russia bombed cities across Ukraine on Monday, with at least four missile strikes reported in the western city of Lviv, killing at least seven people.
Here are the latest developments regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine:
Battle of Donbass: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on Monday that Russian forces had launched an offensive on the eastern Donbass region. He said the Ukrainian forces will continue to fight, saying he is “grateful to all our fighters, soldiers, heroic towns and villages in the region who are resisting and standing firm.”
There is no “single place” that is safe in Ukraine: Ihor Zhovka, Ukraine’s top diplomatic advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, told CNN that “Not a single place, town, city or village” is now safe in Ukraine after Russian missile strikes in Lviv on Monday. The city was previously seen as a safe haven due to its proximity to Ukraine’s western border with Poland.
Women and children in a besieged steel mill: A video showing women and children sheltering in the basement of the Azovstal steel plant in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol appeared on Monday evening on Telegram by the Ukrainian Azov Battalion. The battalion commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Denis Prokopenko, said Russian forces were “voluntarily” firing at the factory. The factory is one of The last areas under Ukrainian control in the city.
The most recent Moskva sinking: New pictures appeared Early Monday on social media, the Russian guided-missile cruiser Moskva appeared badly damaged and caught fire in the hours before the ship sank in the Black Sea on Thursday. The images show the Moskva slate on one side, with black holes from possible missile puncture marks, and a large plume of smoke billowing upwards.
Biden has no plans to visit Ukraine. White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Monday that there are no plans for US President Joe Biden to travel to Ukraine, following Zelensky’s comments encouraging him to do so. The US president suggested last week that he wanted to leave, although he said US officials were still “in discussions” about whether A high-ranking US official will visit Ukraine.
The United States describes its “campaign of terror”: State Department spokesman Ned Price said the Russian attacks in Ukraine in recent days further demonstrate that the country is “launching a campaign of terror” against the people of Ukraine.
Cease-fire ‘not in sight’: On Monday, Martin Griffiths, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said a ceasefire in Ukraine was not in sight, but it could be “in a couple of weeks” depending on how the war proceeds and ongoing negotiations.
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